Category Archives: Mobile

Apple has just rolled out iOS 8.3. This ain’t a big release, but iPhone and iPad owners expecting to upgrade their iDevices should be looking at some truly fantastic improvements inside, including the usual mix of bug fixes for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3rd-party keyboards, and such, as well as a few tasteful enhancements, such as the wireless CarPlay for in-car support, along with some 300 types of emoji for fun. In this context, we should also mention that the new update lists a whole new version of keyboard under the lid, boasting a new scrolling UI.

The latest release also includes a brand new set of languages for Siri, amongst which you might find Russian, Danish, Dutch, Thai, Swedish, Turkish and Portuguese.

In addition to that, Apple has also added an option to download free apps without the need to enter your password, along with the option to report any junk or spam to filter out iMessages that are not sent by your contacts.

Lastly, the update is also said to improve stability and performance of the overall platform, but that is part of the regular ongoing efforts. With that in mind, there’s also now iCloud Photo Library support which has been optimized to work with the new Photos app on OS X 10.10.3.

Like any previous update release, the software upgrade is likely to be available as an over-the-air update on the Settings section of your iPhone or iPad, as well as on iTunes

Mobile

Blackphone Will Keep Your Mobile Communication Secured

March 29, 2015 Nir Shein

If privacy is important to you, and I’m sure it does, the Blackphone is most probably what you’re after in a mobile device. The phone, which operates under a customized Android platform, dubbed PrivatOS, is featuring industrial grade encryption technology that makes encrypted communication via IMs, voice, video, and chat, as easy as sending a regular text message.

The 4.7-inch smartphone that was initially designed by security guru Phil Zimmermann, includes a 2GHz quad-core processor under the lid, paired with 1GB of RAM, a novel array of very smart sensors in combination with GPS support, as well as various privacy tools pre-installed.

The Blackphone protects your communications at the top security level but how exactly does it do that? And how does it work in comparison to some other smartphones?

Check out this interesting and enlightening infographic by studyweb

General, Wearables

Apple Releases a New, Colorful Line of Watches from $349 to over $10,000

March 9, 2015 Nir Shein 2 Comments

Apple’s smartwatch, or as we all tend to call it, Apple Watch or the iWatch, so to speak, has been officially released, after getting unveiled in September 2014. The line which includes three major watch categories is said to be available for pre-orders on april 10th, shipping on April 24th. CEO Tim Cook has officially confirmed most of the details that already emerged while adding some more interesting info to convince us all of its great potential.

Apple only mentioned a $349 base price back in September and today we have been fortunate to learn that prices will indeed start at $349 for the Basic 38mm Sport smartwatch model and will eventually climb all the way up to more than $10,000 for an 18K Watch Edition flavor. That depends of course on which, size, and band you guys decide to choose. Here’s the breakdown:

Apple Watch Sport edition made of aluminum alloy. Comes in silver or Space Gray flavors and includes five different color plastic wristbands – $349 for 38mm, $399 for 42mm screen sizes.
Apple Watch Stainless Steel case edition – Starts at $549 for the 38mm model and up to $1,049, depending on which, size, and band. The 42mm device is $50 more on each category.
Apple Watch Edition is the most expensive watch in the series. It features an 18-karat gold case and will run for $10,000 for the “entry” level model and up to $17,000 for the top Premium version.

As mentioned, the Apple Watch, which boasts an Apple S1 processor under the hood, will go live in 38mm (1.32-inch) and 42mm (1.5-inch) Retina screens with sapphire (optional) and display resolution of 272×340 and 312×390, respectively (based on the Apple Watch SDK).

Dimensions 38.6 x 33.3 x 10.5mm, 42.5g or 42 x 35.9 x 10.5mm, 50g.

First round of global release said to include countries like the UK, the U.S, Germany, Australia, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Canada, and France.

Apple’s tim Cook claims that the Apple watch is the most advanced timepiece ever created. The Apple Watch is accurate to within 50 milliseconds of the ‘Universal Time Standard’.

Any Apple watch has different faces and different configurations. There’s a Digital Touch feature letting you send a sketch, a tap, or even your heartbeat to your dear ones as long as they have an Apple Watch as well.

You can easily answer a call or a message right from your Apple Watch using the built-in speaker and mic — and make phone calls too but only via your iPhone device. In this context I should mention that some Chinese Android smartwatches also include an independent SIM card tray which, unfortunately, you don’t get to see in the Cupertino version.

The Apple watch has all sorts of health features and at the end of the week, it sends you a little health report of what you’ve done (or what you haven’t). Thw watch encourages you to sit less, move more and get some exercise to stay in shape.

Obviously, notifications you receive on the iPhone can automatically appear on the Apple Watch thanks to the Notification app which you can already download from the App Store. The watch is also powered by Siri, so you can talk to the screen and pose the weirdest questions you want – Simply raise your wrist and say “Hey Siri” to do all kinds of things with it.

Other apps and features allow you to scroll through and like images on Instagram right from your wrist, Request a ride on Uber with Apple Watch, without reaching for your phone. you can even check into your hotel and unlock your room with the watch, not to mention the ability to control your personal garage door from afar and so many other different forms.

And to the most interesting part (other than price) – Apple watch designed with All Day battery life, so you’re getting approximately around 18 hours of continuous work. Not so bad after all.

Update1: Apple has just released iOS 8.2 with support for the Apple Watch. The latest and greatest release of the iOS comes pre-loaded with the Apple Watch app inside (which cannot be removed), so that you will get the chance to handle your watch, install different apps and tweak different settings. Basically, the watch requires a sync with an iPhone 5 or above, running under the iOS 8.2 version inside; otherwise, it simply won’t work. You can download iOS 8.2 immediately from the App Store, and get for your phone a few minor improvements in stability, as well as some basic bug fixes and changes to the health app and such, but nothing so biggie to be honest, besides the noticeable addition of the Apple smartwatch support.

Update2: Apple Watch includes 8 GB of storage, allows 2 GB of music and 75 MB of photos.

Update3: Apple Watch pre-orders to start at 12:01 a.m. PDT on April 10, or 3:01 a.m. on the East Coast time.

Update4: Apple Adds a ‘Guided Video‘ Page to Apple Watch with a handful of videos showcasing the different type of features, such as Messages, Faces, and Digital Touch.

Hit The Play To Watch The Videos

[youtube id=”1Ql0Z8Il73s”]

[youtube id=”LHdVkPrdRYg”]

[interaction id=”54fe0e677fdf079b4ee1cc6c”]

Computers, General, Mobile

This Chart Shows Apple’s Premium Pricing Strategy and Product Differentiation

February 25, 2015 Nir Shein

Apple has been on an incredible run, with shares value hitting world record high of $710 billion. Apple has become the first ever company to be valued at this value range, mostly because of that it is often associated with luxurious products and services which rank high on great quality, durability and Innovation.

Below is a chart showing how Apple is using the pricing strategy to sell the company’s products and the range they offer for each and every one of them.

[Via businessinsider]

Mobile, Wearables

Is Pebble Working On a New Color-Display Watch? (Update: Now Official as Pebble Time)

February 23, 2015 Nir Shein

Pebble, a company that has earned a name in the market for developing wearable technology solutions and became very famous after nabbing more than $10 million for its revolutionary smartwatch on the popular crowdfunding site Kickstarter, is now rumored to be working on the next-generation of its smartwatch, featuring a whole new design, based on a thinner and clean watch elements. The kicker is a 2/2.5-inch color display on top, operating under a revamped OS.

According to an image which was reportedly pulled from Pebble’s own asset servers, by 9to5google, it looks like the US-based wearable company will probably release or announce a slimmer Pebble watch with a color e-paper-like display (which appears to be limited to Black, White and Yellow production) sometime between tomorrow and next month. Mind you, there’s a countdown timer on its website for tomorrow 10AM ET. A new watch? Perhaps.

Meanwhile, the new alleged smartwatch, which you can see walled up, boasts a slightly bigger bezel with merely four different buttons on both of the sides. The watch reportedly won’t include a touchscreen support, but the battery will hold up for a couple of days of off-and-on usage without charging, just as previous models.

The hardware should include a Cortex M4 processor under the hood while software wise, the operating system has been completely revamped by former people who previously worked on the great webOS, and is now said to be close to stock Android Wear more than ever.

As for price, it is likely to remain around the $199 range.

[kickstarter id=”597507018/pebble-time-awesome-smartwatch-no-compromises”]

Update1: Pebble has officially returned to Kickstarter and launched a second crowdfunding campaign to raise money for its latest and greatest Pebble Time watch with a new timeline interface. As for this moment the goal of raising $500,000 has been reached in just a few moments and the company already hit the $1 million mark in less that 20 minutes(!) and $2 million mark in less than an hour(!).

As we’ve already mentioned, the next-generation of Pebble’s smartwatches are going to be about 20% thinner than previous models, with a colorful screen atop and a new user interface.

Here are some key facts that you should know about Pebble

Pebble Time features a new color e-paper display and microphone for responding to notifications.
No compromises on what you love about Pebble: up to 7 days of battery life, water resistance and customizability.
Pebble Time is fully compatible with all 6,500+ existing Pebble apps and watchfaces.
Three colors available exclusively on Kickstarter. Pebble Time starts shipping in May.
Extra special engraving for our original Kickstarter backers who support us again.

Pebble Time comes in three colors:

Black watch case and silicone band with black PVD stainless steel bezel

White watch case and silicone band with silver PVD stainless steel bezel

Red watch case and silicone band with black PVD stainless steel bezel

Update2: $4,000,000 in less than three hours.

In less than 3 hours, more than 20,000 people have backed @Pebble Time: https://t.co/bUWViWal6a

— Kickstarter (@kickstarter) February 24, 2015

Applications, Mobile

10 Best Construction and Building Mobile Apps [Infographic]

February 3, 2015 Nir Shein

Do you have any plans to develop a new apartment or renovate your old house with new exciting design?

It’s 2015, and technology in the building & construction industry is becoming more and more influential. This is because there are apps becoming available that make things so much easier for builders. The current batch of building apps have the potential to greatly improve efficiency and also improve safety on a building site. There is much less chance of making a mistake when using these highly rated building apps.

Some of these building apps charge a fee but just looking at the reviews it seems they are well worth the small investment. There are also many free building apps that are really simple to use and would be handy for anyone involved in any type of construction.

So If you are looking for a handy dandy set of tools to help you out with a new home design, just take a look at this cool list of practical and useful apps.

Infographic is courtesy of Calgary Window & Door Guys

Mobile, Phones

Apple to Finally Start Offering SIM-free iPhone 6 & 6 Plus in the U.S.

January 5, 2015 Nir Shein

Apple will officially start selling SIM-free iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices in the US of A today. At least that’s what a recent report from the guys over at 9to5Mac says, based on people familiar with the matter. The phones will be available for purchase at retail and the online stores, so you can choose whatever suits you best.

Up till now, You could only buy one of Apple’s latest and greatest line of iphones in the US via one of Uncle Sam’s popular mobile carriers either with a contract or a contract-free package, but starting today, if things are going to work as planned, people from all over the world will be granted the opportunity to nab a factory-SIM free device directly from Apple.

Currently, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of change in pricing, with the iphone 6 to start at merely $649 for the 16GB version and up to $949 for a 128GB 6 Plus device.

Update: We have confirmed the news – Apple now selling SIM-free unlocked iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices both online and on its retail stores. Do you have one already or are you getting one today?

[Image Credit, Flickr, Kārlis Dambrāns]

Accessories, Mobile

Video: Unboxing 1.54-inch ZGPAX S28 Mobile Bluetooth Smartwatch

January 5, 2015 Nir Shein

The ZGPAX S28 Bluetooth Smart Watch Phone has just arrived to my door a few days ago with a package that includes a 450mAh battery, good for up to 3 days of continuous work, as well as a beautiful 1.54-inch 240×240 pixels capacitive touch screen on top. The watch is powered by an MTK6260 processor under the lid and will be easily syncing with your handhelds, sending ’em push notifications, or incoming phone calls and messages (as long as you have an Android device). The watch also includes an FM stereo support, along with an MP3 player, Voice recorder, Pedometer, Sleep Monitor, Looking Phone features, Anti lost, Sedentary reminder, SMS, MMS and group messages, Calculator, Email, schedule, memos and so much more. The S28 can also be used as a standalone mobile device, both for dialing and answering without the need of a smartphone sitting close. The watch is now available on the web for $75 MSRP.

Hit the play and check out the video

[youtube id=”nduIRhNAhOQ”]

Design, Mobile

42 Tips And Tricks For Mobile Landing Page Optimization

November 18, 2014 Technologer

We’ve all heard the phrase “you only have one chance to make a first impression”, this is even more true when it comes to mobile landing pages. At the most basic level a landing page is the first interaction a customer will have with your website. Getting that first impression right is critical. Earlier this year we published the post, responsive design is not a mobile optimization strategy focusing on the importance of creating dedicated mobile landing pages for your mobile traffic and not using responsive design to convert visitors into customers.

Mobile Statistics:

Smartphone mobile commerce revenues amounted to 14.8 billion U.S. dollars this year. (Statista) (tweet this)
By 2016, mobile local search is expected to make $3.2 billion in revenue compared to desktop’s $10.2 billion. (Kelsey report)
50% of smartphone users have made a purchase via their phone (Prosper Mobile Insights). ()
73% of smartphone users say they used the mobile web to make a purchase instead of using an app (JumpTap.com). ()

Below are 42 mobile landing page optimization tips that will set you on your way to convert more mobile visitors into paying customers divided to:

Strategy
The Basics
AB Testing

The Strategy

1. Know where to start – Creating an entire mobile web site is expensive and tales a lot of time. The best way to get started is by tracking analytics and understanding the pain points and drops in conversion you currently have. Once you’ve understood those, you’ll know where to start. The most important elements you want to track for mobile conversions are volume of traffic, demographics and buying patterns.

2. Understand your customer’s goals – Make sure you understand how your goals differ with mobile and desktop users. Do you want them to have the exact same experience? We use web differently than mobile, the experience is different and sometimes we use 2 or 3 devices at the same time for completely different reasons. Figure out what your visitors are doing on your mobile site, understand what they’re trying to achieve and create a user journey that helps them get there faster and quicker.

3. Define Your Goals – Once you’ve defined and understood your visitor’s goals, define yourlanding page goal and design an experience with that goal in mind. Remove side information, multiple call to actions buttons and other gimmicks. Focus on the most important elements of your landing page and how they help visitors complete your goal.

4. Change their life: There are thousands of companies doing the same. People spend very little time on mobile sites and need to understand your value proposition in a matter of seconds. Remember to focus on the customer and their benefit. Less: “We are the best in the world” more: “This will change your life”.

5. Define the desired action – know the one desired action you want visitors to take on your mobile landing page and lay out a clear call to action that stands out and logically moves visitors to the next step.

6. Say it at the top – A visitor should be able to identify what’s in it for them quickly without needing to read complicated texts and stories. Make sure to have your value proposition at the top of the page. Your headline and call to action should be above the fold (what visitors see when the land on the page) and give your visitor the information they need quickly.

7. Be clear about the outcome – it’s important that visitors clearly understand what they will receive if they provide information and how you will use that information once it is collected.

The Basics

8. Forget about scrolling – Create pages that fit within the boundaries of a mobile screen that eliminate the need to scroll. This should apply to both landscape and portrait modes.

9. Design for landscape and portrait – most people think of the portrait view when designing mobile landing pages, but depending on how your visitor orients their phone they may also be seeing your mobile site in landscape mode. Make sure your mobile landing page scales for both.

10. Use Localization – GPS-enabled devices allow for specific, localized content that can reduce friction and increase conversions. In your registration forms you can detect your visitor’s state and city by the zip code they insert. Make the “zip code” your first address field to leverage on this option.

11. Remove external links – By removing the external links to other parts of the site you can control the visitor’s journey and focus them on your call to action. Remember, new tabs open immediately in mobile and navigate the visitor away from your target. Make it a quick and easy journey for your users without luring them to other places.

12. Clean out the clutter – Focus on what’s important, keep the page as clean as possible, minimize friction and keep buttons as far away from each other as possible. The less clutter, text and colors, the more visitors will complete the funnel.

13. Maintain consistent flow and design –Don’t surprise your visitors or try to fool them, use the same messaging and design on your mobile landing page as they saw in the ad. Be consistent with the messaging, this will assist with converting visitors once they’re on your page and improve your ad’s quality score.

14. Don’t make people pinch and zoom – The focus point of a landing page is determined by you. The way you design your landing page will determine what visitors do on your site. By making them pinch, they, not you, choose where to focus on the site.

15. Click to call – Many of mobile searches are aimed at immediate contact. By using direct “click to call” buttons instead of a copy-pasted number you allow for quick conversions and an easier path your visitor. Make sure to set up your phone tracking to track incoming calls before starting out.

16. Adjust the Keyboard – make sure you use the proper keyboard for each form field. When a visitors needs to insert a number or an email, they should be able to do so quickly without changing their keyboard output.

17. Keep your forms minimal – Registration forms are frustrating on all devices, when it comes to mobile, even more so. Avoid open text fields when possible, as writing on mobile can be exhausting. Make sure your form is large and clear, using the full extent of the screen, and keep fields as well as the submit button large enough for clicking with a thumb (missing the right field because its too small can be a drag).

18. Simplify search – make it easy on your visitor to find what they need quickly. Have the search element in a key position to ensure people find what they want fast. (Remember it’s not the most important feature so don’t let overtake other elements).

19. Carry your visitor’s identity – The vast majority of smartphone conversions come from either a direct link or email marketing. Use emails to carry the identity of your users into your mobile platform.

20. Allow to “shop later” – Sometimes we just don’t have the time or energy to complete our registration or purchase process. Make it easy on users to complete their journey on other devices and convert later. Offer a simple way to complete the funnel on another device via email or save-to-cart functionality.

21. QA, QA, and QA – Just because you tested the mobile site on your mobile phone doesn’t mean it works on everyone else’s. Before starting out check Google Analytics to discover the most common mobile screens your visitors use. Make sure to check your landing page on multiple devices and track it over time.

22. Ask for less – to minimize friction and increase conversion, ask for less from your visitors. Get the most important information you need to start a process and get additional information later. Screens are small, time is short and people won’t stay there if your funnel is hard work.

23.Keep copy to a minimum – Most visitors will not want to read through several paragraphs of text. Surface the most important information on your landing page and quickly move visitors to the next step in your conversion funnel.

24. Emphasis your call to action – The call to action is the first thing a visitor should see on your landing page. Provide a quick way for people to follow your call to action and make it easy to complete the funnel. Make your call to action button visible and easy to click on with a touch screen.

Check out the example below by Naked Wines:

A lot of text
The call to action button is cut

25. Optimize your forms – To make it as simple as possible for visitors to complete your forms, test breaking them into multiple, simple steps.

26. Keep titles short – Keep your title no longer than 3-4 words to maintain a one-line headline and not more.

27. Build for limited data – Mobile data connections can be slower than home broadband connections. Users can run out of patience waiting for your mobile site to load. Make sure to keep it relevant for mobile users and light.

28. Stay away from flash –it may look nice on web (and doesn’t convert), but it won’t on mobile. HTML5, GIFs and JPEGs highly recommended.

29. Take location into account – We use our smartphones while watching TV, driving, shopping and other various locations. Make it easy on the eyes & use icons for faster navigation (include short explanatory text).

30. Embrace social behavior – Social login have high conversion rates and are a great way to encourage visitors to interact socially with your product.

31. Offer exclusivity – The majority of people prefer to checkout on desktop screens. To increase conversions try offering mobile exclusive sales to reduce friction and increase sales.

32. Design for action – Design all clickable elements as buttons (not just text links), make them big enough and add white space around them to emphasis them.

33. Less is more– Use as less text as possible and eliminate all unnecessary design elements – leave only functional elements.

34. Personalize your message – smartphones offer a lot of important information on visitors. Incorporate features that are available on mobile like GPS and location-based information for the users, for example: Shipping to Washington!

35. Take font into account – make texts more readable. Use larger font, bigger line-spacing and letter-spacing to allow for easy reading and skimming.

36. Optimize for SEO without damaging conversions – Avoid using a lot of text on your mobile landing page and introducing clutter by using an expandable-div. This will make pages shorter, and visitors will be able to click on what interests them.

AB Testing on Mobile

37. Test KPI’s – Before setting out to start testing, establish your business goals and translate them into digital KPIs (e.g – signups, purchases, downloads). Once you’ve determined your KPI’s make sure your tracking is set up correctly.

38. Reach significance – while running tests make sure you run them until you reach statistical significance, Google Experiments will tell you when you’ve reached it or you can use this A/B test calculator. Reaching significance will ensure you learn as much as possible from your tests and know they’re correct.

39. Exclude irregular days – conduct your tests in an environment that will give you the most authentic results. Avoid testing during holidays, events or paycheck days.

40. Be systematic – To achieve clear results and understand the meaning of the test results, make sure to run one test a time or, if you have sufficient traffic run simultaneous tests with different test groups.

41. Test Strategies, not elements – After you’ve taken care of all the technological issues and elements that can increase conversion, be sure to start testing strategies to better understand your users. Testing button colors or titles will only get you to a certain point. In order to gain larger wins and learn more from your tests, you need to start testing emotional strategies.

42. Use a checklist – with so many things to remember prior to launching your campaign it is best to use a checklist to make sure no important steps have been missed. A checklist also ensures that you and your team are following a consistent process for each new campaign.

Wrapping up

Responsive design is not a mobile optimization strategy. To get more out of your mobile visitors, creating dedicated landing pages and different user journeys for them is key for success.

Do you have any mobile landing optimization tips of your own? I’d love to hear your comments!

This post originally published on Talia Wolf’s blog

Talia helps businesses plan and execute conversion optimization programs. She runs thousands of A/B tests using emotional targeting and persuasive design to grow their business.

Talia is a frequent keynote speaker at marketing conferences and was recently listed as one of the most influential experts in conversion optimization. Follow her on twitter at @taliagw and learn more about her conversion optimization training programs.

Mobile, Operating Systems

Apple Releases iOS 8.1.1 To The World With Bug Fixes And Speed Performance Improvement

November 17, 2014 Nir Shein

Apple has just released iOS 8.1.1 with some minor bug fixes for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. In addition to that, the new release is set to bring a few several improvements to Apple’s latest and greatest iOS platform including a few security updates, as well as an increased stability, and for the major part, performance improvements for some of the company’s oldest devices including the iPhone 4s and iPad 2, which have apparently become somewhat sluggish with iOS 8.

iOS 8.1.1 is available immediately as an OTA download. Simply go to to Settings > General > Software Update. the update is relatively small and should be

iOS 8.1.1 is compatible with the following iDevices:

iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus
iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, iPad 2, iPad (third-generation), iPad (fourth-generation), iPad Air, iPad mini, iPad mini with Retina display
iPod touch 5G

Get it now and feel free to report back if you run into any problems.

Mobile, Operating Systems

Android 5.0 Lollipop Update Now Available for Nexus Devices

November 12, 2014 Nir Shein

It’s Android Lollipop day, as Google has announced it will officially start rolling out OTA updates for its latest and greatest Android 5.0 OS to several Nexus devices, including the Nexus 5 and the Nexus 10, which will go straight from KitKat to Lollipop, Nexus 7s, plus the Nexus 6 and 9 which are both currently getting “minor” bugfix updates. It appears that Samsung and Sony users will have to wait a bit longer for this update as well as Nexus 4 and 3G/LTE versions of the Nexus 7 devices.

According to a recent post on the Google Product Forums the details of the new update are as follow:

The over-the-air update for Lollipop is now starting! The update is starting for these devices:

Nexus 6: Minor update to address bugs
Nexus 9: Minor update to address bugs
Nexus 5: Update from KitKat to Lollipop
Nexus 7 WiFi (2012 & 2013): Update from KitKat to Lollipop
Nexus 10: Update from KitKat to Lollipop
It will also be put up on Android Open Source Project (AOSP).

Note: The OTA update for 3G/LTE versions of the Nexus 7 2012 and 2013 have not yet started, nor have they started for the Nexus 4!

The files are available for download now from Google’s developer site.

Update: Motorola has also announced an official OTA release of the latest Android Lollipop update for its second-gen Moto G and Moto X mobile devices. The mobile company has posted on its website the following:

We’ve started to roll out Lollipop in phases just a week after the public release of the software to the following devices in the US -Moto X (2nd Gen.) Pure Edition, Moto G (2nd Gen.) US GSM, and Moto G (2nd Gen.) Global GSM retail versions sold in the US.

Mobile, Operating Systems

Apple Releases iOS 8.1 With Apple Pay, iCloud Photo Library Services On Board

October 20, 2014 Nir Shein

Apple has just released iOS 8.1 to fix some issues that affected iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users who have previously downloaded iOS 8.0.1 and 8.0.2 which have profoundly impacted cellular network connectivity and Touch ID handling. In addition to that most users have also reported problems with abnormal battery drain, and a slow performance in surfing Safari that the firmware update is going to solve (hopefully, once and for all).

iOS 8 was officially released to the world on September 17th, followed by iOS 8.0.1 which was instantly pulled out due to massive bug reports. Apple then released iOS 8.0.2 on September 26th, and now the iOS 8.1 update.

With iOS 8.1, Apple will also introduce Apple Pay for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The service will be offering Apple users to tap their fingers on the rounded home button sensor in order to complete a mobile transaction through the terminal. The update will also include a beta version of the iCloud Photo Library service, which basically lets you auto-save your entire media library in the cloud , some further more continuity features and support for SMS messaging on both the iPad and Mac.

iOS 8.1 is compatible with iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad 2, iPad (third-generation), iPad (fourth-generation), iPad Air, iPad mini, iPad mini with Retina display and iPod touch (fifth-generation). You can easily update to the latest version of iOS either manually, through iTunes, or using OTA. Mind you, that the servers might be painfully slow.

Let us know if you are experiencing any issues with your Apple iDevice after loading iOS 8.1 on board.

[Apple]

Mobile

Apple’s New Activation Lock Status Tool Helps You Decide If An iPhone Is Stolen Before You Buy It

October 2, 2014 Nir Shein

Apple has just released to the world a very useful online tool that will let potential iPhone buyers determine whether or not a second-hand iPhone (or any other iDevice for this matter) that they might consider nabbing is actually legit or not.

The company has announced that the new version of the iCloud tool will be enabled by default starting with iOS 8. In order to turn it into action you’ll need to go to iCloud.com, and type inside the IMEI or the serial number of a certain device. By doing so, the platform will be telling you whether a device is protected with Activation Lock and whether or not it’s ready for a new Apple ID signup or will require a password before another user can activate it.

In the case you already acquired a protected device Apple provides instructions on how to remove the Activation Lock and make it disabled once and for all. But make no mistake, it will require the cooperation of the previous owner.

[via iDownloadBlog]

Mobile, Phones

Apple Releases New iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Ads With Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake

September 23, 2014 Nir Shein 1 Comment

Apple has aired two new ads for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus entitled ‘Huge’ and ‘Cameras’ in which it features Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake. You can see in the ads that the Cupertino giant is highlighting some of the most important features that the new devices are offering to users – the updated cameras with the slow motion and high quality time lapse shooting functions from one hand, and the larger displays they both boast on top, from the other (the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus feature 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch HD displays respectively).

This isn’t the first time the two, Jimmy and Justin, are running over a couple of lines in an Apple ad, as we have seen a similar footage during the iPhone 6 event. Yet, the dialogues are quite funny, to say the least, although you can’t really see the characters themselves.

Apple announced that opening weekend iPhone 6 sales were over 10 million. This is a record for the company in the first three days of sales.

[youtube id=”I3uAoeQBpcQ”]

[youtube id=”AdbggN5XB0Y”]

General, Mobile

iPhone 6: Apple Fans Start Queuing Outside The Stores

September 19, 2014 Nir Shein

It’s Apple’s iPhone day, and long queues already forming outside the company’s global retail stores in anticipation of the launch of the iPhone 6 and iphone 6 Plus at 8am this Friday. It is only natural that people would be interested in the new phones coming from Apple, after the positive reviews the devices had received and the pre-orders record of roughly 4 million phones.

On this morning of the iPhone 6 launch we are able to see huge queues of people waiting in line to get the chance of purchasing a limited stock of Apple’s latest iteration of 4.7″ and 5.5″ smartphones. The Apple Stores around the world all have queues, loads of queues.

The iPhone 6 comes in silver, gold and ‘space grey’ flavors and features an A8 chip, a Touch ID fingerprint identity sensor, iOS 8, and an iSight camera with a larger and faster 8MP sensor.

We’re updating the post from time to time

UNITED STATES

CANADA

AUSTRALIA

JAPAN

HONG KONG

FRANCE

GERMANY

UNITED KINGDOM

[Image credit: Henrik Ahlen: Flickr]

Mobile, Operating Systems

Apple Releases iOS 8, Now Available For Free Download

September 17, 2014 Nir Shein 4 Comments

Just In Time — Apple has officially released its new firmware update to the iPhone and iPad software. Apple’s new mobile operating system , iOS 8, is now available for free download for a number of products, but If you’re getting an error – please be patient – it’s probably because the servers are getting overloaded right now.

The new iOS 8 is compatible with:

iPhone 4, 4s and 5, iPod Touch 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB (5th generation), iPad 2, with retina display and iPad mini.

It’s not a big change, but it’s definitely a little better. People who buy an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus will get iOS 8 pre-installed, while the rest will have to get it from iTunes. Here’s a short list of some of the best new features in iOS 8: Device Continuity, QuickType/3rd party keyboard support, HealthKit tools, HomeKit controls, iCloud drive, Family sharing app, Improved messaging features (photos and voice), New integrated Spotlight search system, Additional camera video capabilities (such as time-lapse), Interactive actionable notifications platform, Fresh Siri features (‘Hey Siri”), New “Contacts” look, and a WiFi calling support.

There are two ways to get the new update for your iDevices:

1) Go to Settings > General > Software Update, and hit the “Download and Install” button. After you have it downloaded onto your slab, click the “Install” button and wait for the process to be over.

2) iOS 8 can also be downloaded on your computer via iTunes, and it requires Apple’s latest release version.

Update: Make sure you have at least 5GB+ to install iOS8.

Hit the Play to watch the video

[youtube id=”dcHCplLIU_A”]

Video courtesy of zollotech

Mobile, Phones

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Pre-Orders Kick Off Online

September 12, 2014 Nir Shein

Apple’s next-generation iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus mobile devices are finally available for pre-order for Cupertino fanboys in USA and eight other countries, including the UK, France, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and Japan. With shipping scheduled to begin September 19, 2014.

If you are interested in buying one of the two without a contract (SIM free), you’ll need to pay the full price upfront.

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus prices start at $199, and $299, respectively, while the iPhone 6 Plus starts at $299 and $399 when purchased as part of a two-year contract with all three U.S carriers AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon.

Unlocked contract-free option for the two models (including T-Mobile), will set you back as follows:

iPhone 6 (16GB): $649
iPhone 6 (64GB): $749
iPhone 6 (128GB): $849

iPhone 6 Plus (16GB): $749
iPhone 6 Plus (64GB): $849
iPhone 6 Plus (128GB): $949

Apple’s website is currently down, but you can already place your orders on AT&T and Verizon’s websites, as well as App Store mobile app.

Update1: Apple’s online stores now officially available to get your orders.

Update2: iPhone 6 Plus orders already delayed by a few weeks. It seems they are selling like crazy hot cupcakes.

Update3: Apple says it sold a record 4 million pre-orders of the iPhone 6 in 24 hours.

Mobile, Phones

Apple Announces New iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Smartphones

September 9, 2014 Nir Shein 5 Comments

CUPERTINO, Calif. – Apple announced the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus on Tuesday. The 6 is the company’s flagship mobile device, coming in Silver and Space Gray colors at your choice plus a Gold just in case any of you are thrust into this luxurious phone. It has a ‘Touch ID’ fingerprint reader, same as the previous 5S series had, as well as Apple’s new A8 processor, which is 25% faster than last year’s models, capable delivering about 50 percent more energy efficient. That means 4 hours of 3G talk time for the 6 model, and 24 hours for the Plus; up to 10 days standby for the 6, and 16 for the Plus, about 11 hours of video for the 6, and 14 for the Plus. There’s also a new M8 co-processor to handle all motion data, and track your activity. Connectivity wise, we’re looking at an 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and 150 Mbps LTE network. Finally, the phones are also featuring an integration of short-range NFC and mobile payment technology.

While the a camera on both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will still capture 8-megapixel images as before, it now offers a more advanced iSight sensor and an f/2.2 aperture lens paired with the same True Tone flash, capable of catching up to 43-megapixel panoramic photos, plus stunning slow-motion videos with 240 frames per second.

Th screen on the iPhone 6 devices is as follows:

iPhone 6 — 4.7-inch display: 1334 × 750, 326 PPI
iPhone 6 Plus — 5.5-inch display: 1920 × 1080, 401 PPI

Some measures:

The iPhone 6 – 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27 inches (138.1 x 67 x 6.9mm) and weighs 4.55 ounces (129g)

The iPhone 6 Plus – 6.22 x 3.06 x 0.28 inches (158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1mm) and weighs 6.07 ounces (172g).

Probably one of the most important improvements inside the new iPhone devices (besides the camera) is the A8 chip, a 64-bit SoC that’s 20% faster CPU, 50% faster graphics. It has 2 billion transistors, on a 20nm process, and It’s 13% smaller than the A7 — this is a truly amazing computer-power chip.

Apple has also announced a bigger model, dubbed the iPhone 6 Plus, which is basically a similar version of the 6 only with a bigger screen display (5.5-inch 1080p Retina HD display) and a mildly little thicker body form (7.1mm vs. 6.9mm). It has an “Ion-strengthened glass,” up on the hood, paired with an IPS liquid crystals panel beneath, and an “anodized aluminum back” on the rear. The iPhone 6 Plus is available for pre-order from Apple on September 12th, and both will be available for shipping on September 19th.

As has been the case in previous keynotes, much of today’s announcement has already been leaked ahead of the event. Over the past few months, we’ve seen plenty of images and video footage of both the new iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 plus. And as it turns out most of the rumors were pretty spot on.

The iPhone 6 lineup maintains the same price points (at least in the US) as before, with new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 to cost $199 (16GB), $299 (64) and $399 (128GB). While the new 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus to set you back for $299 (16GB), $399 (64GB) and $499 (128GB). Expect similar pricing in Canada. Apple also drops prices of the previous models as follows: iPhone 5S: $99, iPhone 5C: “free”

Hit the Play to watch the video

[youtube id=”RS5mzvqWM-c”]

Mobile, Phones

Alleged Working iPhone 6 Detailed In a New Series Of Videos

September 6, 2014 Nir Shein 1 Comment

Apple’s iPhone launch event is only three days away, but leaks haven’t stopped coming in. Apple set to reveal a new line of iPhone devices, as well as a smartwatch, which was rumored to be in the making for quite some time, and its latest and greatest iOS 8. As rumors of the new iPhone design continue to swirl, we’ve stumbled upon a series of short “hands on” videos related to the most expected iPhone 6. In those videos you can see a guy playing around with what appears to be Apple’s next-gen iOS 8, running on an iPhone 6 (or whatever it is). As usual you should take this footage with a little grain of salt, but you should also pay attention to some of the details included in the videos. For instance, this tiny little red stripe icon which apparently includes an image of a credit card, that most likely indicating of an electronic payment capability through Passbook. In addition to that, the submitted clips which have been recently uploaded to Chinese video sharing site MiaoPai (by a user called “zzray”), also present a new Health app plus many other upcoming iOS 8 features. What do you think, is that the REAL DEAL?

Hit the Play to watch the videos

[youtube id=”9R_0XKQI82I”]

[youtube id=”klplIqRiJig”]

[youtube id=”9Cnsg9x5RGc”]

[youtube id=”yP6kIz5XC7A”]

Events, General, Mobile

Apple Sends Invitations For September 9 iPhone 6 Event

August 28, 2014 Nir Shein 2 Comments

Apple has just sent out the anticipated invitations to its next event, which is going to be held on Sept. 9, 2014 at 10:00 am. The title under the date says: “Wish we could say more” — What does it mean? Well, we clearly don’t have a clue at the moment, but the company is expected to announce a larger iPhone lineup with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens. In addition to that, the Cupertino-based giant may also introduce its upcoming smartwatch, also known as the iWatch. We’ll be reporting live on September 9.

So, what do you think? Will Apple’s next device announcement showcase a wristwatch, new set of iphone devices, Apple TV 4 or else?

Update: I think we’re really on to something here: If Apple is going to officially announce iOS 8 (which it already did unofficially), the 8 sign is that of eternal and continuous spiral motion. In other words, it looks exactly like eternity, a state to which time has no application, or a smartwatch, if you will. Now, if you take a look at the Apple invitation, they’re only showing the part of the Apple logo that looks like an 8 laying down, no?

General, Mobile, Video

13 Brands and Institutes That already Use Instagram’s New Hyperlapse App

August 28, 2014 Nir Shein

Instagram has recently released Hyperlapse, a standalone app for taking time lapse videos on the iPhone and iPad devices. The app which already ranks #3 on the Apple App Store, is a very simple, yet sophisticated tool that lets you capture high-quality time lapse videos at a lower frame-rate than usual, but with a built-in stabilization technology that lets users create moving, handheld time lapses at a glance. Simply open up the app, tap to record video, and then choose the video speed, which can be varied from 1x to 12x, and tap again to end the session. Videos are given the opportunity to be shared directly to Facebook or Instagram.

We designed Hyperlapse to be as simple as possible. You don’t need an account to create a hyperlapse. Instead, you open up straight to the camera. Tap once to begin recording and tap again to stop. Choose a playback speed that you like between 1x-12x and tap the green check mark to save it to your camera roll. You can share your video on Instagram easily from there.

Instagram says that inner technology behind the Hyperlapse app is based on a video stabilization algorithm called Cinema, which basically helps us regular users to smooth our shaky videos out in a snap, and make them look very slick and professional. It’s like a “$15,000 video setup in your hand” said Wired and we couldn’t agree more.

[vimeo id=”104409950″]

We also witnessed a few popular brands and institutes that immediately decided to try the new app. It’s definitely a risky move from the marketing perspective, but you should know that whether you win or lose, at least you’ve done your best to engage with your audience in a fun and creative way.

Here are 13 brands already using the Hyperlapse application:

MERCEDES

Bud Light

THE WHITE HOUSE

Sonic Drive-In

NAKED JUICE

Polyvore

Sydney Opera House

Burton Snowboards

Taco Bell

Mountain Dew

Drink Arizona

Foot Locker

COSMOPOLITAN

If you have stumbled upon any other great examples of brands using Hyperlapse, please post them in the comments below.

Mobile, Phones

Leaked Footage of the iPhone 6 Back Plate Suggest New Logo and Hardware Rearrangement

July 29, 2014 Nir Shein

It’s that time of the year again when iPhone rumors begin to circulate the internet, giving us the geeks and fanboys a special look at what appears to be the next upcoming device. Yes, the next iPhone is clearly on the horizon, but you should always take “leaks” with a little grain of salt. This time around, though, Apple is probably planning to launch two larger iPhone devices: one with a 4.7″ screen and another with a 5.5″ screen.

A new batch of leaked images sets the rumor-mill a-churning over the possibility of a bigger gold colored iPhone 6, tucked with some awkward bands around its back (probably to help with the wifi/bluetooth signals). The images also appear to suggest a different housing from the iphone 5S model, with a recessed logo area on the cover, plus a different hardware rearrangement for the purported iphone 6 (power button has moved to the side), with all pieces to lay inside a flat and thin surface structure.

Apple analysts believe an announcement on the new iPhone 6 will take place sometime around mid-September, with many suggesting it could go on sale later this month. Take a look at the following video:

[youtube id=”Jn35DkJdSdY”]

Mobile

Video: Drop Test Samsung Galaxy S 5 Vs iPhone 5S, VS HTC One M8, Which Stronger

April 3, 2014 Nir Shein

Now that both Samsung and HTC officially released their latest and greatest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8, it is time to put to a test which of the phones is stronger enough to survive a random drop test. In this following video, the two has been put up to the test alongside Apple’s popular iphone 5S. Can you guess which model has managed to last longer? The answer may well suggest what would be a good investment for your money. As a reminder, the back of iPhone 5S is made of aluminium and glass, while the HTC One M8, is entirely made from a metal alloy and the rear part of Samsung’s Galaxy S5 is made from plastic. Check out the video below to see the result.

[youtube id=”NYgg6RMB6g4″]

Mobile, Operating Systems, Phones

Apple Rolls Out iOS 7.1 Update

March 10, 2014 Nir Shein

Apple has just released to the public iOS 7.1, featuring a number of notable changes including official support for Apple’s in-car CarPlay system, a manual control how long Siri listens to your mobile devices, some calendar tweaks, a few minor bug fixes, and some tiny bits of integrated functions, such as faster iphone 4 experience, continued user interface refinements, an HDR auto settings improvement, and additional changes to the OS control.

Apple users with the following devices will be able to download the iOS 7.1 update over the air (OTA) or via iTunes: iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPad Air, iPad mini with Retina display, iPad mini, iPad (3rd and 4th generations), iPad 2, and iPad touch (5th generation).

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3VLILsESFQ]

Here’s the complete list of fixes:

CarPlay
– iOS experience designed for the car
– Simply connect your iPhone to a CarPlay enabled vehicle
– Supports Phone, Music, Maps, Messages, and 3rd-party audio apps
– Control with Siri and the car’s touchscreen, knobs, and buttons

Siri
– Manually control when Siri listens by holding down the home button while you speak and releasing it when you’re done as an alternative to letting Siri automatically notice when you stop talking
– New, more natural sounding male and female voices for Mandarin Chinese, UK English, Australian English, and Japanese

iTunes Radio
– Search field above Featured Stations to easily create stations based on your favorite artist or song
– Buy albums with the tap of a button from Now Playing
– Subscribe to iTunes Match on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to enjoy iTunes Radio ad-free

Calendar
– Option to display events in month view
– Country specific holidays automatically added for many countries

Accessibility
– Bold font option now includes the keyboard, calculator, and many icon glyphs
– Reduce Motion option now includes Weather, Messages, and multitasking UI animations
– New options to display button shapes, darken app colors, and reduce white point

Other
– New Camera setting to automatically enable HDR for iPhone 5s
– iCloud Keychain support in additional countries
– FaceTime call notifications are automatically cleared when you answer a call on another device
– Fixes a bug that could occasionally cause a home screen crash
– Improves Touch ID fingerprint recognition
– Improved performance for iPhone 4
– Fixes display of Mail unread badge for numbers greater than 10,000
– Continued user interface refinements

[Apple, video by DetroitBORG]

Mobile, tablets

Huawei Announces 7-Inch MediaPad X1 Android Tablet: Lightest in the World!

February 23, 2014 Nir Shein 1 Comment

Huwei introduces a new 7-inch Phablet, Android tablet with a mobile phone function, which also happens to be the lightest in the category weighing in at just 239g and only 7.18mm-thick. As much as we would welcome any change or innovation in the global mobile market, a 7-inch tablet will always look preposterous as a “hold up to your ear” smartphone, right? While you could always use it as a tool in getting connected via mobile, the tablet part seems to be the main purpose most of the time.

But will the new slab be a player in an increasingly crowded market? Well, it’s definitely possible due to the increasing size of the manufacturing company and the top-notch quality of the internal specs. The name, if you were wondering, is the Huawei MediaPad X1 and it is likely to contain some of the greatest specs available in the market today, including a high-res 1,920 x 1,200 LTPS display (323 ppi) on top, alongside a 1.6GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 processor, 2GB of RAM and a Mali-450 MP4 GPU.

The MediaPad X1, which has an rigid aluminum frame, will also include a 5,000mAh battery pack, claims to provide up to 5 full days of work, as well as 802.11n WiFi connectivity, a HUGE breed of 5-megapixel f/2.2 front-facing camera plus a 13-megapixel f/2.4 shooter placed on the back. In addition, it will sport both 4G LTE network capabilities, WCDMA technology configuration and 3G connection wherever you go. There is also a healthy 16GB of built-in storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card slot.

The X1 which runs on Android Jelly Bean OS will be available in various countries around the globe such as China, Russia, Western Europe, the Middle East, Japan and Latin America from March 2014 for an unknown price.

Update: Huawei will also release a basic 7-inch tablet under the M1 moniker and with some entry-level specs, including a 7-inch 1,280×800 pixel HD IPS display, a rear-facing a 5-megapixel camera plus a 1-megapixel shooter on the front. Storage wise, you get the choice to choose between 8GB or 16GB capacities and up to 32GB expandable memory via microSD card slot. The M1 will be available in May for 299 Euros.

[youtube id=”yo171G-2kAg”]

Mobile

Here’s What The Future of Mobile Will Look Like [infographic]

February 7, 2014 Nir Shein

Mobile is a hot topic these days, everyone has a phone, or a smartphone for this matter, and wants to do all kind of daily stuff with it, from taking beautiful pictures to navigating your car, playing games, sending instant messages, emailing, and surfing the web; it’s all possible, even on a small mobile phone.

With such a promising given scenario, you’re always wondering how things are going to look in the future.

Three Mobile have used current data to predict ways in which mobile technology will change the way we live. Three estimate that by 2016, more than 309 billion apps will be downloaded to devices from the different app stores, by 2017, almost a billion of us will be connected through 4G technology, and that by 2020 more than 50 billion things will be connected to the internet, and by 2025, more than 5.4 billion people will be connected to the internet – 80% via mobile.

Clearly the future is bright for the mobile world and in the next few years we will see global adoption as this technology continues to develop. Check out the stats in this infographic:

View the latest mobile phones on Three

[Image credit: Jon Fingas]

Mobile, Operating Systems, software, tablets

iOS 7 Finally Gets an Untethered Jailbreak

December 23, 2013 Nir Shein

According to a chart posted on Apple’s developer website in early December, iOS 7 adoption is already at 74 percent. This means that three quarters of Apple iDevices are closely familiar with the new operating system, and that’s A LOT. What else happened since then? Glad that you asked, because the iOS 7 officially has an untethered jailbreak, courtesy of the great Evasi0n7. The tool, which many of you may have expected to see, is now available for both Windows and Mac users and can snappily help you unlock any iPhone, iPad and iPod touch models running iOS 7.0, 7.0.1, 7.0.2, 7.0.3 and 7.0.4, including the new ones (e.g iPad Air and iPhone 5s). As usual you should proceed with caution and happy jailbreaking!

Click the source below to get the software.

[youtube id=”QcZaDZb3zcs”]

[Evad3rs]

Mobile, Phones

How Do Brits Use Their iPhone? [INFOGRAPHIC]

October 23, 2013 Nir Shein

Have you ever wondered what people do on their mobile phones, and what exactly do they use them for? Yeah, well me too. Thankfully, we were given the opportunity to get a glimpse of the iPhone usage in the UK and the way the Brits interact with their mobile iDevices (AKA: Apple iPhones). From what we know and learn, the citizens of the United Kingdom still prefer communicating by voice with family and friends over sending and receiving text or multimedia messages; although SMS is still very popular at this part of the Western world. But the pattern of use remains traditional. Most interesting, though, are the facts that British men take more selfies than British women, and that 69% of the people of London use their iPhone while sitting on the toilet.

Take a look at this infographic by UK’s fastest growing mobile network, Three, to find out more about their habits.

View the iPhone 5s on Three

General, Mobile

iPhone 5S and 5C Go Live, With Queues Forming Outside Apple Stores Around The World

September 20, 2013 Nir Shein

Apple’s iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C go on sale today in a few selected countries around the world, including US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK. Eager fans camped overnight outside the Apple stores and the vibes around are definitely getting louder and very positive, overall. The 5S and 5C come with iOS 7, which Apple described as “the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone”. And while the 5C model is basically an iPhone 5 coming in a colored plastic case, the 5S, on the other hand, includes a faster processor, which Apple claims is about twice as fast as the iPhone 5, a new A7 chip, which makes the phone “the world’s first smartphone with 64-bit desktop-class architecture,” an improved 8-megapixel iSight camera on the back, a new M7 motion chip under the lid, and a Fingerprint Touch ID sensor that can replace your passwords and be used to make purchases from Apple’s iTunes store.

Here’s a few examples of some of the lines starting to form outside Apple Stores around the world:

We’re updating the post from time to time

Detroit, Michigan, United States

Fifth Avenue, New York City, United States #1

Fifth Avenue, New York City, United States #2

Fifth Avenue, New York City, United States #3

Fifth Avenue, New York City, United States #4

Fifth Avenue, New York City, United States #5

Fifth Avenue, New York City, United States #6

Fifth Avenue, New York City, United States #7

Soho, New York City, United States

New York City, United States

Huntington Station, New York, United States

Chicago, Illinois, United States #1

Chicago, Illinois, United States #2

Shadyside, Pittsburgh, United States

Boca Raton, Florida, United States #1

Boca Raton, Florida, United States #2

Miami Florida, United States

Miami Beach, Florida, United States

Maryland, United States

Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Dallas, Texas, United States

San Antonio, Texas, United States

Minnetonka, Minnesota, United States

Santa Monica, California, United States

Stanford University, California, United States

Glendale, California, United States

El kiosco, Hong Kong

Yorkdale Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Montreal, Canada

Monaco, French Riviera

Saint-Laurent-du-Var, French Riviera

Opera House, Paris, France #1

Opera House, Paris, France #2

Louvre, Paris, France

Montpellier, France

Norwich, United Kingdom

Liverpool, United Kingdom

Regent Street, London, United Kingdom #1

Regent Street, London, United Kingdom #2

Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom

Tokyo, Japan

Ginza District, Tokyo, Japan

Sapporo, Japan

Berlin, Germany

Munich, Germany #1

Munich, Germany #2

Sydney, Australia #1

Sydney, Australia #2

Melbourne, Australia

Adelaide, Australia

Beijing, China

General, Mobile, Operating Systems

Apple iOS 7 Now Available Worldwide

September 18, 2013 Nir Shein

Apple has officially begun to roll out the iOS 7 today, with users around the world now reporting to get the upgrade notification. Apple has made some significant changes to the interface of the new platform and has completely revamped the visual design of the operating system, including the apps, and much of the OS itself to be compatible with the 64-bit technology which the company will be using in future devices (starting with the new iphone 5S). Apple iOS 7, which includes a range of notable updates, is immediately available for download via iTunes or over-the-air (OTA), and supports iPhone 4 and later, ipad 2 and higher, iPad Mini, and iPod Touch fifth generation. As always, we recommend taking a full backup of your iDevice before updating the new firmware.

Update: Apple has just rolled out iTunes 11.1 with some notable features such as Podcast stations which sync over iCloud, Genius Shuffle which Apple defines as a magical new way to shuffle your music library, an expected sync compatibility with Apple devices that run under Cupertino’s “just-released” iOS-7, and probably the biggest of ’em all, the iTunes Radio that offers free music streaming based on your music preferences, a la Pandora.

Here’s the full Change log

iTunes Radio. iTunes Radio is a great new way to discover music. Choose from over 250 stations or start a new one from your favorite artist or song. Enjoy iTunes Radio ad-free once you subscribe to iTunes Match.

Genius Shuffle. Introducing a magical new way to experience your music library. Choose Genius Shuffle and iTunes instantly plays songs that go great together. Click it again to hear something new—enjoying your music has never been this easy.

Podcast Stations. You can now create custom stations of your favorite podcasts that update automatically with new episodes. Your stations, subscriptions, and current play position sync over iCloud to the Podcasts app.

Sync with iOS 7. You can now use iTunes to sync your favorite music, movies, and more to devices with iOS 7. In addition, iTunes now makes it even easier to quickly organize and sync apps to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

General, Mobile, Phones

Apple Unveils Faster, Stronger iPhone 5S and Cheaper, Colorful iPhone 5C

September 10, 2013 Nir Shein 6 Comments

Apple’s Tim Cook took the stage today at the company’s media event in Cupertino to officially introduce the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C, Apple’s next generation of mobile devices. As most rumors already suggested, the iphone 5S, which is considered as Apple’s new flagship machine, looks exactly the same as the previous model, AKA the iPhone 5; rear aluminum build and a front glass panel, surrounded by a metal stripe around the sides.

Clearly, the new 5S is Apple’s fastest handset yet, and it runs a super powerful A7 chip under the lid. It’s the first and probably the only smartphone in the world to ship with a 64-bit configuration in the form of the new A7 processor, with a “desktop-class architecture” housing 1 billion transistors, which are twice the amount you’ll find on an A6 chip. This brings the A7 chip performance to more than double the speed of an “old” iphone 5. As for the graphics, Apple has announced a new support for the OpenGL ES 3.0 standard like the new Nexus 7. But that’s not all, ladies and gents, because there seems to be a secondary chip, that Apple is tossing in alongside the A7 processor, and it’s called the M7. This one, is more of a “motion processor” and it will help measure motion stuff like the accelerometer, compass, and gyroscope. In addition, it’ll improve support in a few apps within the health and fitness fields.

One of the most important questions the media had to deal with was how big is the screen on the Apple iPhone 5S/5C smartphones? Today, we’ve finally got the answer, the new Apple iPhones come with a 1136 x 640 pixel 4-inch Retina display, which is about the same as we had as with the iPhone 5 model. In other words, DISAPPOINTMENT. We truly expected from Apple to offer a larger screen alternative. But I guess it won’t happen until probably the next iphone generation, number 6, I presume.

As mentioned, the outside box doesn’t bear any notable changes from the older version, except one significant update in the form of a revolutionary fingerprint sensor that Apple has placed under the home button. Yes, you’re getting a fingerprint sensor that is likely to boost your mobile security BIG time, and will ultimately replace all those user ID passwords. NEAT. The button itself is said to be made from a laser-cut sapphire crystal materials, which are basically unscratchable. And while rumors were spot on, this fingerprint reader – The TouchID – that Apple has managed to attach underneath the iphone home button is nothing but amazing. The technology behind it can literally read your fingerprint at “an entirely new level” if you will. Touch ID Sensor is about 170 microns thin, and senses 500 ppi resolution. Generally speaking, it can scan all of your “sub-epidermal skin layers.” Touch the button and DANG, your phone’s unlocked.

Another cool thing that Apple has added, is the upgraded camera. The company has improved the current rear 8MP camera from the iPhone 5 with a new f/2.2 aperture. The new camera technology features a backside illumination, and will apparently endorse about 15 percent larger active sensor area. Other than that, we’re also looking at a new flash at the back of the phone (with two LEDs attached), and a cool shooting option with an auto image stabilization mode. The front facing webcam is at 1.2MP, while the rear one was specifically designed to capture 720p HD video at a very high speed, at 120FPS. It basically means that you can easily take slow-motion videos out of your phone. Last but not least, you will now be able to shoot at burst mode & up to 10 frames per second. Which is crazy if you come to think about it.

In addition to that, the iPhone 5S will also include support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 4G LTE network. As far as storage goes, the 5S model will ship with your choice of either 16/32/64 GB of storage — No 128 GB flavor for you at this point. Bummer.

The phone will arrive in Silver, Gold, and a new Space Gray colors. Is anyone surprised?

The second device that Apple has officially unveiled today is the iPhone 5C which the good guys over at Cupertino are aiming for the low-mid mobile market. The cool thing about this model is the variety of colors that you can choose from (Blue, White, Pink, Yellow, and Green), and the fact that it’s light and made from a cheap plastic flavor. Apple says that It’s made of a hard-coated polycarbonate material, if you really want to know. It also features a 4-inch Retina display with the same 8-megapixel rear camera and the regular support for LTE bands, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, and Bluetooth 4.0. The chip inside is an A6 processor, same as the iPhone 5.

Both devices will run Apple’s latest and greatest iOS 7 out of the box. The platform, which Apple has completely built from the scratch around the 64-bit technology, in a new “flat” design, is due out September 18th. Supported devices include the iPhone 4 or later, iPad 2 or later, iPad mini or fifth-generation iPod touch.

As for prices and availability, the two new iphones will officially go on pre-order at Apple’s online store September 13th, with both devices to start shipping on September 20th in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK. The most significant thing here is that it would probably be the first time that China is getting in the first phase of the iPhone’s release. This is huge for a company like Apple who’s been making efforts to penetrate the Chinese market for quite some time now.

The iPhone 5S will offer a range of 16 GB to 64 GB models and will be priced as follows:

16 GB: $199 (with a 2-year contract), or $649 off-contract.
32 GB: $299 (with a 2-year contract)
64 GB: $399 (with a 2-year contract)

The iPhone 5C will offer 16 GB/32 GB capacities and will be priced as follows:

16 GB: $99 (with a 2-year contract), or $549 off-contract.
32 GB: $199 (with a 2-year contract)

Apple will also offer dyed leather cases for $39 each, and a set of rubber skin cases for the iPhone 5C, priced at merely$29 apiece.

Finally, Apple to discontinue the iphone 5, while the 4S version remains as a free model in a 2 year contract.

[youtube id=”wGCetsl-srk”]

General, Mobile

Confirmed: Apple iPhone Event is Set For Sept 10

September 3, 2013 Nir Shein

After a long time rumors about a possible event, Apple has finally sent invitations for a press conference to be held September 10, 2013, at 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern, at the Cupertino Headquarters, to announce details about the upcoming line of flagship iphone devices, and probably some other very interesting stuff, such as the iOS 7 and more. By “more” we hope to get an official release date for Apple’s latest and greatest OS X 10.9, also dubbed Mavericks, and a refresh to the Retina display iPads or the Retina MacBook Pros.

Apple’s invitations usually include some hints as to what the event will be about, and this year the tagline, which appears at the bottom of some sort of an abstract colorful polka dot background, is saying — “this should brighten everyone’s day” — the event, that is, of course. As for the colorful dots, that could probably confirm early leaks about a possible release of some bright multi-colored iPhone 5C casing, but hell, we’d certainly want to see a gold iPhone variant as well.

Another theory suggests that the colorful dots and the style of the fonts (above) were designed in the spirit of the new iOS 7 (a flat design). We can’t be too sure about it, but let’s give out our chance and hope for the best.

General, Mobile, Phones

Alleged iPhone 5C Cases Start Showing Up Online

August 30, 2013 Nir Shein

Apple is gearing up for one of those major events, where it’ll officially announce the iPhone 5S and the iphone 5C, on September 10 or so. While rumors continue to circulate about the possibility of two different iphone machines, the 5S which is the company’s heir to the throne, and the 5C that is expected to emerge as Apple’s “low-end” offering, alleged soft cases for the iPhone 5C are beginning to appear online these days, and they may provide us with some clues about the overall design and the size of each dimension.

One such online store we’ve stumbled across, that is offering Apple’s new cases is Deal Extreme, which has just started to sell the goods. Looking at the picture they posted (above), we see the same pattern and exact shade of colors as we have already seen before. But the specs are new for the most part. A quick glance at the ultra-thin protective back case, for instance (that is about the closest we get to the actual dimensions of the real phone), will teach us that it will measure in at 4.96 in x 2.36 in x 0.35 (12.6 cm x 6.0 cm x 0.9 cm), exactly the same as in the previous releases. In other words, NO size change, in case you were speculating on the topic. Perhaps a tad thicker, as some other cases suggest, but we expect the overall layout and design to remain pretty much the same.

We’ll keep you updated as more information comes in.

Mobile

Here’s How The Future Apple iPhone Will Probably Look Like

August 25, 2013 Nir Shein 3 Comments

No one knows anything about what’s coming next month at Apple’s event (which is rumored to be kicking off September 10). But the closer we get to that inevitable date, the bigger the madness surrounding the event, and the trickle of rumors around the products. At this point you may ask yourself if there’s any truth to the rumor about a new batch of iPhone models coming out anytime soon. While there is no conclusive answer to this question, it seems these rumors are likely to be correct. Just a pure fact of business logic, if you insist, mixed with a good level of knowledge — In the past couple of years, the Cupertino giant has released a new iPhone in September.

Apple will probably launch an iPhone 5S with a camera, perhaps around the 8 to 12 megapixels sensor, along with a speculated fingerprint scanner built into the smatphone’s home button, and a better GPU with a much stronger processor (maybe a new A7 chip). There could also be a 128GB internal storage option, paired with an NFC chip, supporting peer-to-peer contactless communications. A lot of reports suggest that Apple will be keeping the same look and feel as the iPhone 5, but might just add a little more color variants. How about a gold iPhone 5S model, alongside the usual black and white flavors?

There’s also a rumored [PDF] plastic version, known as the iPhone 5C (with C probably aiming for ‘cheap’) that Apple is allegedly planning to release in multiple colors such as red, yellow, blue, green, and white. And since the outside of the phone is made up of plastic (compared to the 5/5S aluminum and metal materials), it will definitely be more affordable, we’re guessing at the $199 – $249 range.

Apple is also expected to officially launch its latest and greatest iOS 7, during the upcoming event, featuring a complete new design along with a wide range of new features.

All that’s left now is to sit back and be patient, right?

[youtube id=”wXRM0xjEwuc”]

Video courtesy of Tanner Marsh.

Mobile

Rumor: Apple To Announce Next-Gen iPhone On September 10

August 11, 2013 Nir Shein 1 Comment

Over recent releases, Apple events have become a bit more predictable than in the past; the price of working with so many manufacturers, I suppose. Nevertheless, their products still raise a great deal of public interest whenever they surface in the press, around the world. Surely, the next few quarters may be somewhat more challenging for the Cupertino giant, and the outright anticipation for the main event is something that cannot be duplicated.

So when is this happening, you are asking? Well, according to the guys over at AllThingsD Apple will be holding a media event on September 10, to, reportedly, announce the next-gen iphone, dubbed iPhone 5S. There’s a good chance the company will also unveil a low-budget device, known as the iphone 5C. What else? Reports suggest that Haswell MacBook Pros may be announced by Apple, as well as official release of the company’s iOS 7, and a global roll out of the Mac OS X, known as Mavericks. Stay tuned for a lot more to come.

Applications, Mobile

Here’s How Mobile Apps Are Changing The World [infographic]

June 12, 2013 Technologer

Smart phones are the latest buzz in the cell phone world. Scores of companies are churning apps by the hour and this infographic shows just what is happening in the world of mobile apps – popular apps, top categories, app stores etc. It has everything there is to know about mobile apps in a jiffy!

Apple’s App Store is leading the group with roughly 900,00 apps, to date (updated from wwdc2013 event), and 50 billion total downloads during a period of 5 years, or so. Android is right after, with about 800,000+ apps at the Google Play store, while the rest of the list is far behind, with Windows Phone Store featuring 145,000 apps, and Samsung Apps with only 13,000 apps at the moment. Check out the table to learn more about the numbers and info.

This infographic is courtesy of Top Apps and Designed by Graphs.net

Image source: Lifehacker

Computers, Events, Mobile

Apple Unveils iOS 7, OS X Mavericks and New MacBook Air at WWDC 2013

June 11, 2013 Nir Shein 5 Comments

Apple’s annual event for WWDC 2013 has finally come to an end. In a nutshell: no new Apple iphone or iPad. So what did we end up getting? Some rumors have indicated that we would see Apple laptop hardware updates this week, while other rumors pointed to a whole new software design. At the end of the day, I guess it was probably a good mix of both. From the hardware part, Apple has announced a refresh of its MacBook Air & Macbook Pro devices, and software wise, the guys over at Cupertino launched a new OS X (10.9) and the most anticipated iOS 7, which Tim Cook referred to as the “biggest change to iOS since the iPhone.”

But first, as usual they started with some numbers:

• Apple says that under 5 years, users have downloaded from the App Store about 50b times.

• There are now 900,000 apps in the App Store, of which 375,000 are for the iPad.

• Over 600 million iOS devices sold.

• 800 billion iMessages sent.

• 240 million Game Center users.

Macbook Air & OS X Update

Apple just announced the next generation of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air products, with claims that the power consumption will be reduced for both machines (they call it the “all day battery life”). The new MacBook Air is distinctively similar to the previous model, but if you’re going to take a closer look you’ll find the new “Haswell” 4th-gen processors from Intel. In addition, the new line is said to offer a faster 802.11 ac Wifi connectivity, alongside Intel HD Graphics 5000, which is supposed to provide graphics performance that is 40 percent faster. Apple claims 9 hours of battery life for the 11-inch model, while the 13-inch MacBook Air now provides up to 12 hours of continuous work. They’re both available starting today, with the 11-inch Air going at $999 for the 128GB base model, and $1,199 for the 256GB version. The larger 13-inch Air will be priced at $1,099 for the 128GB entry model, and $1,299 for double the size (256GB).

Apple unveils its latest operating system, the OS X “Mavericks.” First thing you’ll notice, is that the company is replacing its traditional practice of calling Mac operating systems after cats. Instead, it is going after an undersea rock in California that apparently creates big waves. Symbolic, isn’t it? Anyway, the new operating system is said to extend battery life to the most, reduce boot-up time, and enhanced multiple display support (with the ability to tweak elements between screens). Furthermore, the Mavericks features a range of improvements and new features aimed at both users and developers alike. That includes the “finder tabs” addition, which will organize different finder windows into one, documents tagging, new iBooks and Maps app integration, a new version of Safari browser, including a whole new bookmark bar, a redesigned calendar, improved notifications, and a powerful iCloud keychain feature, an encrypted 256-bit AES functionality for password and private info management.

iTunes Radio

Music streaming services are growing big these days. Google has recently unveiled its Google Play Music and the market is packed with some major streaming players such as Rdio, Spotify and Pandora. Today, Apple is joining that group with recent announcement of its iTunes Radio music platform, which was described by the A-team as “a new way to discover music.” At present, there is no need to pay any fee for this, but the free radio service supported by ads. You can either listen to the channels the service offers from various sources (e.g Twitter trending songs, integrated stations, your personal music collection), or simply create your private iTunes Radio station at your choice. You can also modify existing stations to your own taste by choosing the ‘Play more like this’ or ‘Don’t play music like this’ sections. The service is expected to launch in the U.S first and then expand globally, sometime in the future.

iOS7

And now we’re finally getting to the highlight of the show: Apple has revealed a completely new iOS 7 software, featuring a all-new design with a modern “Flat” approach. It has a much smoother look, and considered by the Cupertino-based company as “the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone.”

With so many new options and features installed, I think that iOS7 was definitely worth the wait. It has a nice clean form, some pretty colorful icons and a very friendly interface on top. What else can we find in there?

Control Center – An Android-like area where you can manage and adjust some of the most important settings on your phone. (Wi-Fi, brightness, volume, etc.). To get in there, you simply need to swipe the screen down from the upper area on your mobile device, and voila!

Airdrop – This is an OS X feature that Apple has finally imported to its mobile devices. What it basically does is to enable mobile users that have smartphones, tablets or laptops to send files or pictures to anyone around them in real time. Unfortunately, it only supports iPhone 5, fourth generation iPad, iPad mini, and fourth-gen iPod touch.

Multitasking – The multitasking app cards were a major feature of Palm’s WebOS platform. This is probably the best way to switch between the apps, monitor them and determine which ones are being used the most. With the card interface, you get a clear view of your content instead of multiple tiers of very tiny icons.

Siri – As you all probably know, Siri is a personal assistant built into the iphone. In iOS 7 Siri gets a whole new look and a new refreshing voice. From now on, you’ll be able to adjust your settings with Siri, conduct search queries from Bing and Wikipedia, and dictate your map navigation and messages, thanks to the in-car iOS support (Apple is said to bring iOS dashboard to Honda, Mercedes, Nissan, Chevy, Kia, Volvo, Acura and others).

Camera and Photos – There’s a new stuff going on in the Camera app and the Photos section. For a start, they both look very good now, with the latest and greatest iOS Seven. Users can now create Shared Photostreams in a two-way collaborative system, while the new Photo app is now capable of intelligently organize and present your entire digital albums, by automatically clustering them into “Moments” or collections (chronologically). With the new Camera app, you can easily swipe between various modes such as video, still, or “square” (for Instagram shots), and even spice them up with a wide range of integrated filters.

Safari – Apple’s good ‘ol browser is getting a fresh new look in iOS7. The interface is much bigger than what we have known in previous versions, and there’s a new tabbed view (which is kinda similar to Chrome for Android), along with a vertical cover-flow carousel browser. The search field has been upgraded as well, to a unified search menu, and you are also getting access to the iCloud keychain password management control.

New App Store – The App Store segment is also getting a new design in your phone. In that regard, the apps will now start updating themselves automatically in the background, and you’ll be able to search for apps, based on rates, popularity and your personal preferences and location.

Activation Loc – Basically, if your iphone gets stolen and the thief tries to turn the Find My iPhone off, then he or she will not be able to reactivate it again, without including your personal iCloud password.

Release Date

iOS 7 coming to developers TODAY, and for the rest of the world, sometime in the fall. The platform will support the following devices: iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad mini, and iPod Touch 4th gen.

[youtube id=”H7KXr3tKGDg”]

[Apple]

General, Mobile

How To Clear Your iOS App Cache and Get a Lot of Free Extra Storage

May 22, 2013 Nir Shein

Somewhere along the way people started complaining about the lack of available storage on their handsets. To help in that regard, here’s a tip for iOS users who are interested in solving this particular problem:

You all probably noticed the fact that many apps taking up big GB space from your personal iPhone / iPad storage (you can find out how much space they actually take by opening the Settings and clicking General > Usage and finding the app in the Storage section). The main reason for this, is because they are using some sort of a cache mechanism to optimize and improve their day to day performance. Unfortunately, you can’t control it that much, but the phone automatically resets the storage space of an app every week or so, anyway. However, if the app storage total capacity has grown beyond a reasonable range (or activity), you can either delete and re-install it back, OR you can clear the cache by simply using free third-party apps such as iFunbox. Choosing this path, you’ll have to hook up your iDevice either to your laptop or desktop machines, then pick up the app you want to clear the cache for, go to “Library” and delete the “Cache” folder section or the files that it used to house and store. That’s it, the cache is clean and the size of the app is back to normal again.

Update: You do not need to have a jailbroken iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, for that matter.

General, Mobile

Facebook Introduces Home For Android, Focus on People Not Apps

April 4, 2013 Nir Shein

At Menlo Park, California — Facebook announces a family of apps for Android mobile phones (such as HTC One X, HTC One X+, Samsung GALAXY S III and Samsung GALAXY Note II), called ‘Home.’ The founder and CEO of the popular social network, Mark Zuckerberg, said the company’s goal is to “turn your Android phone into a great social device.” Let’s make it clear, Facebook is NOT building a phone or an operating system, the company is offering a new experience for your mobile devices, where it will focus on people rather than apps.

So how does this all work? First, you have to download the Home app from the Google Play store (available on April 12). Then, you simply glance at your home screen, the place that Facebook defines as a social “Cover Feed,” and get the latest posts and important updates from the people you care about most. In addition, the Home will send your device different type of notification messages such as calls, events, images, and Facebook status updates.

Another feature that Facebook has added is the App Launcher, and it’s basically as it sounds, a place where you can find all your favorite Android apps. Only one single swipe from the central home screen itself, and you’re good to go with just about any app you’d like.

Another add-on that Facebook is presenting today, is the“Chat Heads”, a simple and fun development to communicate with friends via Facebook Messages and SMS messages in a more personalized way. This new feature will let you keep chatting no matter what you are doing at the moment, by tapping one of your friend’s Facebook profile pictures, and writing whatever you want to say, inside the pop-up window that will automatically open. Of course it also supports group messaging capabilities, and if you want to to receive a message from one of your colleagues, you either click on the preview message, presented with their photo, or alternatively, swipe away (in case you’re busy) to close immediately all conversations.

Facebook is going to carry out its new plans with a little help from the good friends over at AT&T and HTC. The latter, has just unveiled the HTC First, a 4.3-inch 720p mobile device that boasts a 1.4GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB RAM, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera / 1.6MP front-facing shooter, along with an LTE mobile network support. The First is set to be available exclusively on AT&T for $99.99, starting April 12 (The company is accepting pre-orders today). The phone will be offered in four different colors and is said to be running with Facebook Home already pre-loaded.

Update: Facebook rolled out a new update to its iOS app, pushing Home’s most favorite feature, the Chatheads, to your iPhone and iPad devices. To get it, you’ll need to download Facebook version 6.0 from the Apple App Store, and doing so will let you see what your Facebook friends are up to, get notes when friends are sharing comments and likes within your posts, text and chat with Chatheads UI experience all over your screen board. Download link is here [iTunes].

[youtube id=”Lep_DSmSRwE”]

[Facebook]

Mobile, Phones

What to Expect From The New Samsung Galaxy S4

April 2, 2013 Technologer

With the new Samsung Galaxy S4 set to be released at the end of April, fans have now been given a clear idea of what to expect from Samsung’s latest offering. Here, we will take a look at 4key features of the Samsung Galaxy S4 which are getting fans across the globe increasingly excited and impatient in equal measure, for its release.

Samsung Wallet

The new offering comes with a brand new Samsung Wallet which will allow the user to keep anything they have bought in their phone. Furthermore it is anticipated that the new phone will support Visa Payments, although this is not yet known for certain. If this does transpire to be the case, then this should function as a contactless payment method called Near Field Communication. This will render the new style payment system as simple and easy to use, good news for fans excited about this proposition.

Eight Core Processor

This would not have come as a surprise to most Samsung Galaxy S3 fans as it has been leaked on numerous occasions that the Samsung Galaxy S4 would be the first phone to have the first in built eight core processor. You may also be pleased to note that Samsung Galaxy S4 has full support for 4G LTE networks. Not only will the phone run at 4G speeds but it will also come with storage space options of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB depending on your own needs. There is an additional microSD slot for extra space if this is required.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has an in-built rear mounted camera that boasts an impressive 13 mega pixels. Not only does it have a lower-level flash but for the more adventurous among us, it has the ability to capture 360 degree panoramic pictures.

Contactless Hand and Gesture Controls

Perhaps the biggest achievement of Samsung’s new release is the implementation of the new contactless gesture controls. This would allow the user to answer a call by simply waving their hand or making a simple air gesture. Icons can be clicked simply by moving a finger above the screen. Furthermore, users will be able to scroll the screen using their eyes, with the new phone tracking the user’s eye movements.

The new Samsung Galaxy S4 is certainly recognizable and has not strayed too far away from the S3’s design and function, The phone has many impressive features, most notably its super fast processor and its great looking design. The new S4 although almost perfect is not entirely faultless. Its entire plastic body belies its impressive and sleek design and means that the new offering is a little on the flimsy side. So you’ll want to make sure you get a good smartphone case and a screen protector. Furthermore, Samsung have refrained from overly improving Touchwiz which some users may find a little disappointing. On the whole though, Samsung have managed to successfully mix the new and the old in such a way that the latest option should not fail to disappoint. It may be not be perfect, but it certainly comes to close and it has enough updated features to compensate for any of its flaws.

Mobile, Phones

Samsung Galaxy S 4 Officially Introduced: 5-inch 1080p Screen, 13MP Camera, and 1.9GHz Exynos Processor

March 15, 2013 Nir Shein 1 Comment

At Radio City Music Hall in New York City, Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy S4, a phone that will let you “experience life without boundaries.” That’s right, according to the South Korean corp. the Galaxy S4 is your ultimate “Life Companion” and it will greatly serve you, both in your house and whenever you decide to take it on-the-go. The S4, which is somewhat a mix of Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and Note II mobile phones, offers a wide range of functions and features, including a beautiful 5-inch 1080p (1,920 x 1,080) Super AMOLED screen display (441 ppi), capable of use with gloves in wet, cold and dusty conditions, your choice (depends on the region) of either a 1.6GHz Exynos Octa-core chip or a 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor (probably the Snapdragon 600), 2GB RAM, and 2,600mAh battery to match.

When it comes to connectivity, the 7.9mm thick device has quite a lot to give, starting with the very exceptional WiFi 802.11ac (which also supports the usual a/b/g/n bands), that comes alongside an IR blaster to let you fully control the big tele (access via Samsung’s WatchON service), a built-in NFC technology, as well as MHL 2.0, radios for HSPA+ (850/900/1900/2100MHz) plus Cat 3 100 / 50 Mbps LTE, and last but not least, a Bluetooth 4.0 + LE module.

Moving on with the specs, the GS 4 is running an Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean platform under the lid, with Samsung’s well-known TouchWiz interface layered on top. You get to choose between 16, 32, or 64GB of storage capacities, and there’s a microSD addition, expandable up to 64 gigs, an option that will give you the potential for a whopping 128GB of total memory.

Another important part of the Galaxy S4 is obviously the new 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture and autofocus capabilities. The camera is claimed to be able taking more than 100 shots in four seconds, and then re-arrange them all in one single frame. It’ll also record video at the 1080p range, and with the “dual camera” mode, you’ll be able to use both the front-facing camera and the rear-facing camera, concurrently, and put ’em together in a pic-in-pic mode. And yes, there’s also a 2MP front-facing camera, in case you wondered.

As mentioned earlier, the GS4 is stuffed with tons of tweaks and features. A quick roundup of some of the good things going on inside:

[list type=”plus”]
[li]Eye-tracking features[/li]
[/list]

[list type=”plus”]
[li]Smart Pause – Will pause a video by simply “looking away”[/li]
[/list]

[list type=”plus”]
[li]Smart scroll[/li]
[/list]

[list type=”plus”]
[li]Air View interface[/li]
[/list]

[list type=”plus”]
[li]Air Gesture[/li]
[/list]

[list type=”plus”]
[li]S Translator – That literally understands 9 languages, both speech to text, and text to speech[/li]
[/list]

[list type=”plus”]
[li]S Voice Drive – Voice commands for driving[/li]
[/list]

[list type=”plus”]
[li]Optical Reader – Scans QR codes and business cards, turns them into text[/li]
[/list]

[list type=”plus”]
[li]Swipe-to-type keyboard[/li]
[/list]

[list type=”plus”]
[li]Group playing – Play music with multiple phones at the same time[/li]
[/list]

[list type=”plus”]
[li]S Health – Tracks your fitness activity[/li]
[/list]

Samsung is planning to sell the Galaxy S4 around the world via 327 carriers in 155 countries, sometime towards the end of April. And while prices are yet to be disclosed, we hear that the GS4 is made of a tough polycarbonate frame, and will be launched either in Black Mist or White Frost colors.

So… Are you getting one?

[youtube id=”2LHv1FPd1Ec”]

[Samsung]

Mobile, Phones

Apple Announces The iPhone 5: 4-Inch Display, 8MP Camera, A6 Processor, LTE, Coming September 21

September 12, 2012 Nir Shein

Today at Apple’s event the company announced the iPhone 5 which will be available for Pre Orders September 14th and goes on sale September 21th. As expected, all rumors confirmed this time, so no surprises at all. But before we get into the details, first some numbers from the Cupertino spreadsheet. According to Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, the company “sold more iPads than any PC manufacturer sold of their entire PC line.” And guys, we’re talking about 84 million pieces in here, where in the last quarter alone, Apple had already sold 17 million. That’s crazy! As for the the iOS App Store, apparently it has just crossed the 700,000 apps, while 250,000 are iPad applications. Cook says that 400M iOS devices sold through June 2012, an incredible milestone for the CEO and the entire team.

Now that you know the numbers, let’s get to the juicy stuff. Apple’s Phil Schiller first words on stage were: “Today we’re introducing iPhone 5.” Of course you are, that’s what we’ve all been waiting for. But when the applause died down, we finally could get some info. So let’s break it down into specs:

The new iPhone 5 comes with a larger screen than previous versions, 4-inch at 1136 x 640 resolution (to be on the accurate side), just as the mockups predicted. And yes, this is a 16:9 widescreen Retina panel we have inside, with 44% more color saturation, and full sRGB rendering support. And just to add another quote from Phil, “you see, we’re able to add a fifth row of icons.”

As for measures, the iphone 5 is only 7.6mm thick (about 18% thinner than the 4S ), and weighs 112 grams (which makes it 20% lighter). Phil Schiller claims this is “the most beautiful product we have ever made.” And frankly speaking, it sounds too polished to live up to its competition. But hey, it is made completely out of glass and aluminum hardware.

Connectivity wise, Apple is going to release the iPhone 5 with 4G LTE, supported by all three major U.S networks (Sprint, Verizon and AT&T). Other than that, there’s a dynamic “ultrafast wireless technology” under the lid, featuring the 5GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi support for a wireless experience up to 150 Mbps. Too bad there’s no NFC chip out of the box. Perhaps in iphone 6 (oh well). Yet, you can either choose between CDMA or GSM configuration, depends upon your mobile provider.

As it turns out, the rumors were true about that new A6 processor as well, which according to Apple is more energy efficient, 22% smaller, and two times faster in CPU and graphics performance.

The battery is one of Apple’s strongest components, in general, and the iPhone 5 is no different in that area. The numbers tell the whole story: 8 hours on LTE, 10 hours of video playback, 40 hours of music, and 10 hours even when you wirelessly browsing. Overall, you’re getting 225 hours at standby mode, which looks and sounds quite impressive!

Up next, are the camera shooters (called the iSight). Basically, we are looking at the same “things” we’ve been looking at before, in the previous model. In that regard, there’s a front-facing 720p webcam, alongside an 8-megapixel sensor on the back, shooting pictures at 3264×2248 with backside illumination, hybrid IR and an f/2.4 aperture. It definitely should be better, when you take everything into consideration. In fact, it is claimed to be 40% faster when taking pictures. Not to mention the dynamic low light mode that is supposed to improve performance in low light conditions, and this uber cool Panorama mode, that will get you up to 28 megapixel of widescreen nature images. And then, there’s the 1080p video capturing element that comes native, as part of the deal.

So what else, you’re asking? There are three microphones in this monster, front, back, and bottom. While the new earpiece technology now includes noise canceling on your own audio out. And speaking about audio, Apple is now giving away a new set of earbuds, also known as the earpods. Apple’s guy said they’ve spent about 3 years in order to get to the new in-ear design, which ultimately gives you greater canal comfort . Interesting!

As for the cord, Apple has finally got rid of the good ‘ol 30 pin dock connector (not that we had any complaints about it), unveiling instead a newly designed 8-pin cable connector, dubbed the Lightning (a play on the Thunderbolt). This one is 80 percent smaller, in case you were wondering, but it will match your previous accessories with a $29 Lightning port adapter. Just another way for Apple to make some extra money on the side.

Then, there’s the iOS 6 on iPhone 5, which has over 200 new features, compared to iOS 5. Apple says it will go live Sep 19th, one week from today.

For those asking THE “how much do I have to spend” question, well, the short answer would probably be “same prices” no matter if you choose the black one or the white color. The long asnswer is the following: $199 for 16 GB, $299 for 32 GB, $399 for 64 GB version, on a two-year contract. Regretfully, Apple discontinues the 3GS model, but keeps the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S as part of its lineup.

So yeah! This is pretty much it for now. You can jump on past the break, either read the full PR or take a look at the nifty videos below.

Update1: Prices of unlocked iPhone 5 mobile devices just showed up on Apple’s U.S online store. Here are your options: $649 (16GB), $749 (32GB) And $849 (64GB).

Update2: Apple has officially reported it sold over 2 million iphone 5 devices in the first 24 hours (long before the retail craziness begins). More than double the iPhone 4s opening weekend sales. A new record, for sure!

[Apple]

Continue reading Apple Announces The iPhone 5: 4-Inch Display, 8MP Camera, A6 Processor, LTE, Coming September 21 →

Games, Mobile, Phones

Two of The Best New Free Games for Nokia Mobile Phones

August 8, 2012 Nir Shein

Mobile gaming is a massive growth industry, as indeed is the mobile phone sector as a whole; and one of the biggest manufacturers of mobiles in the world is Nokia. Thus Nokia mobiles are amongst the devices that many of the top games developers are pitching their games towards, with the good news for those using Nokia mobiles being that many of these games apps are free to download. These are some of the better new ones out there for Nokia mobiles.

Continue reading Two of The Best New Free Games for Nokia Mobile Phones →

General, Mobile

8 Instagram Web Services That Can Help You Manage and Organize Your Photos

August 2, 2012 Nir Shein 2 Comments

Instagram, the most popular photo-sharing service these days, has officially hit 80 million users who have uploaded more than 4 billion photos, since its launch in October 2010. Acquired by Facebook for a staggering $1 billion, the San Francisco-based startup behind the popular mobile photo application, was initially built for iPhone, and got extended to Android users in April of 2012.

Regardless of their popularity, If there’s one thing missing from Instagram, is a simple and intuitive web-based user interface. And while the company appears to be committed to find a decent solution for the average user, more and more third-party companies are jumping on the Instagram bandwagon.

To remedy this problem, we have gathered a list of eight Instagram web services to help you manage, sort, organize, and share your digital images, as the photo space heat up. Check it out after the break.

Continue reading 8 Instagram Web Services That Can Help You Manage and Organize Your Photos →

Mobile, Phones

Smart Phones and Their Influence on Digital Photography

July 19, 2012 Technologer

There’s much doom and gloom spoken about the effect smartphones have had on digital photography. Although the digital camera market was still worth £598 million in 2011, this is down by nearly a third from 2006, when it was worth £843 million.

Some speculators (probably with a vested interest in mobiles) are saying that they can hear the death knell of digital cameras: here’s an example:

“I can see no reason for people to buy a digital camera in a couple of years’ time as many people have already abandoned them. Why would you pay more, carry around two devices and go through all the pain of uploading photos when you can do all that from one device that you already own? I wouldn’t want to own shares in digital camera companies right now because their industries are about to get decimated by the mobile phone.”

But we ought to look beyond the bare stats and the ravings of “the end is nigh” brigade and those who want to make in your face headlines. As newer technology continues to improve the specifications of top-end equipment, measurements like megapixel density or the top level of optical zoom possible will become all rather meaningless those consumers who want a simple good quality picture from their phones or cameras, and then want to share them socially.

When mobile phones first had a camera built in them, in the 1990s, they were poor quality add-on affairs that were more gimmicky than of actual genuine photographic use. But how times have changed. The latest top of the range mobiles have quality optics and features that rival many entry-level digital phones. But is this trend going to continue, and what are digital camera manufacturers doing in response? In a word, learn.

The big change that made cameras in mobiles so popular was the ability to not only speak to someone, and text them, but to send them an image or a video of where you are and what you are doing, that they can receive and look at on their own phone, without having to rush to plug in a computer. While there will always be purists who will compartmentalise photography as something to be kept separate from day to day human interaction on the move, the bridge should be made between those who like to take decent (even artistic) photographs and videos, but who also want to share them quickly and simply with their friends, employers, whoever.

Camera manufacturers could choose to either invest in a web service that complements captured photos or video, or to focus on including new, innovative hardware capabilities and modifications, to retain consumer interest. And go beyond that. Actually win over people from mobile phone photography to digital camera photography.

One of the big pluses of cameras being included in almost all mobile phones is that it has opened up photography to a whole new swathe of people who probably wouldn’t have thought of themselves as photographers. Many of these new converts will actually begin to be drawn in to the world of digital photography and see that it is a medium in its own right, and not just an appendage to social networking. That means there’s a potential new set of customers for those digital camera manufacturers who can get on the beam and produce a quality digital camera, which will not only have more features than a mobile phone camera, allowing the user to grow with the product, but retain and even enhance the social sharing communication experience of mobile phones.

There is also the factor that some shots are so important that you may not want to trust mobile phone camera technology, but want to go with a dedicated camera to make sure that the shots will be the best possible and stand the test of time.

I’m thinking here of weddings, parties, even holidays. While a mobile phone with a camera can take a shot as good as an entry-level digital camera most of the time, what about if the conditions on the day mean that you need more than the built-in flash of the mobile phone camera? Or a stand/tripod? Or something to enhance a particular part of the composition? Indications are that for “important” photography, people will turn to their digital cameras, or buy one.

So what empirical evidence is there of the effect of the phenomenon of mobile phone cameras on recent digital camera manufacturers?

Canon, Panasonic, Olympus, Pentax and Nikon have in recent years launched a new kind of camera that matches the quality of lenses of a professional model with the sleek, light body of a pocket, point-and-shoot device. Although these mirrorless cameras aren’t a great deal cheaper than the professional digital single lens reflex (DSLR) model, they are lighter and more compact. More mobile phone like in fact.

A range of cameras launched in the past few months have for the first time included WiFi chips, making it possible for users to share their photos much as a smartphone user might. With this Samsung you can share images and videos wirelessly; instantly send a photo to another mobile phone using Bluetooth. Or rely on the Wi-Fi capability to email it directly from the camera or upload it seamlessly to Picasa, Facebook, YouTube, and samsungimaging.com. You can even upload a video you just shot to YouTube. Now that’s going to make mobile phone manufacturers sit up and take notice!

Panasonic too have entered this market with their Lumix DMC-TZ50. It will let you connect to your wireless home router or a T-Mobile hotspot to upload one or more photos directly to Picasa, Google’s integrated photo-sharing website.

While mobile phones may have a zoom feature that is likely to be a digital zoom, which is inferior in quality to the optical zooms found on digital cameras. In fact this advantage is being maximised by more recent digital cameras having astonishing optical zooms built in, on even very compact phones. Take the Nikon Coolpix 100 for example, with its x26 optical zoom. Or the Panasonic Lumix FZ series with a x24 optical zoom. Even more compact is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3 with a x8 optical zoom that will suffice for most shots for most people. If you want more the Lumix TZ30 has a x20 optical zoom.

Just as the camera gets smaller and more sociable, so will the mobile phone evolve and compete to incorporate features presently only available on a digital camera. The winner will ultimately be the consumer who will have more choice and more features, for both digital cameras and mobile phones with cameras, at competitive prices.

Mobile, Phones

Samsung Galaxy S III Now Official

May 4, 2012 Nir Shein 2 Comments

Samsung has finally put the rumors to rest by announcing its next iteration mobile phone, the Galaxy S III. In a splashy London event, the South Korean giant revealed that the next-gen Galaxy handset will feature its new 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad processor, alongside a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED touchscreen display, with 1280 x 720 pixels on top. There’s 1GB of RAM under the lid, paired with a front-facing 1.9-megapixel camera and an 8-megapixel rear shooter. The 8.6mm soft plastic device which weighs 133g, is the latest and greatest in mobile technology. It is said to boast eye tracking support (by all means) and top notch capabilities, such as the “Smart Stay” feature that knows whether we are looking at the screen or not, a very sophisticated Siri-like voice recognition, missed calls/messages technology that lets you auto dial when you pickup the phone, S Beam technology that ease the way you share photos and videos with some other Galaxy S III machines (simply attach them back-to-back with each other), and last but not least, a social media friendly platform that features “The fastest and easiest way to share with friends in just ONE touch.”

Connectivity wise, the S3 has ’em all: Whether it’s 40MHz 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, and GPS with GLONASS reception. As far as software goes, it will be rolling out with Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich platform (AKA: Android 4.0), crammed with Samsung’s very own TouchWiz “Inspired by nature” UI running on top. In terms of radios, you will be getting the HSPA+ flavor, but the 4G LTE magic will be out as well, both in North america and Japan (but not in Europe).

At first, you will get to choose storage capacities that range between 16 to 32GB, while the 64 gigs will follow later on. In addition you can either pick up the Pebble Blue color, or go all the way with the Marble White hue. There’s a very large 2,100mAh battery inside and a microSD slot expansion to double your storage, if needed. The Samsung Galaxy 3 will go live starting May 29, while US customers should be able to nab one somewhere around June.

Full PR after the break, along with the first Galaxy S III TV Commercial and a full video of the keynote event.

Update1: Looks like the most powerful Android smartphone to date, Samsung S3, is now officially available in 28 countries, including Germany and the UK. US launch is yet to be determined, but Sammy’s executives already been quoted saying their latest and greatest mobile device will go live worldwide “within a month.”

Update2: Samsung has just announced that the Galaxy S III will officially hit all five U.S carriers, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and US Cellular, in the early days of June, with prices to be around $199 on contract.

[youtube id=”ImDnzJDqsEI”]

[youtube id=”gAh9frGNulY”]

Samsung Introduces the GALAXY S III, the Smartphone

Designed for Humans and Inspired by Nature

Effortlessly smart and intuitively simple,

Samsung GALAXY S III reveals a new concept of smartphone

London, UK-May 3, 2012-Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, announced today the third generation GALAXY S, the GALAXY S III. Designed for humans and inspired by nature, the GALAXY S III is a smartphone that recognizes your voice, understands your intention, and lets you share a moment instantly and easily.

This sleek and innovative smartphone has the enhanced intelligence to make everyday life easier. With Samsung GALAXY S III, you can view the content like never before on the device’s 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED display. An 8MP camera and a 1.9MP front camera offer users a variety of intelligent camera features and face recognition related options that ensure all moments are captured easily and instantly. Samsung GALAXY S III is powered by Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, with greatly enhanced usability and practicality to make life easier. Packed with intuitive technology, the GALAXY S III delivers a uniquely personalized mobile experience that refuses to be compromised.

“With the GALAXY S III, Samsung has maximized the consumer benefits by integrating superior hardware with enhanced smartphone usability,” said JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung. “Designed to be both effortlessly smart and intuitively simple, the GALAXY S III has been created with our human needs and capabilities in mind. What makes me most proud is that it enables one of the most seamless, natural and human-centric mobile experiences, opening up a new horizon that allows you to live a life extraordinary.”

Introducing Natural Interaction

The GALAXY S III enhances the interaction experience between the device and user. Smart enough to detect your face, voice and motions, the GALAXY S III adapts to the individual user to provide a more convenient and natural experience. With the innovative ‘Smart stay’ feature, the GALAXY S III recognizes how you are using your phone – reading an e-book or browsing the web for instance – by having the front camera identify your eyes; the phone maintains a bright display for continued viewing pleasure.

The GALAXY S III features ‘S Voice,’ the advanced natural language user interface, to listen and respond to your words. In addition to allowing information search and basic device-user communication, S Voice presents powerful functions in regards to device control and commands. When your phone alarm goes off but you need a little extra rest, just tell the GALAXY S III “snooze.” You can also use S Voice to play your favorite songs, turn the volume up or down, send text messages and emails, organize your schedules, or automatically launch the camera and capture a photo.

In addition to recognizing your face and voice, the GALAXY S III understands your motions to offer maximized usability. If you are messaging someone but decide to call them instead, simply lift your phone to your ear and ‘Direct call’ will dial their number. With ‘Smart alert,’ the GALAXY S III will also save you from trouble by catching any missed messages or calls; your phone will vibrate to notify missed statuses when picked up after being idle.

Easy and Instant Sharing
The Samsung GALAXY S III is more than a personal device that can be enjoyed by one user – it wants you to share and experience smartphone benefits with family and friends, regardless of where you are. With the new ‘S Beam,’ the GALAXY S III expands upon Android™ Beam™, allowing a 1GB movie file to be shared within three minutes and a 10MB music file within two seconds by simply touching another GALAXY S III phone, even without a Wi-Fi or cellular signal. The ‘Buddy photo share’ function also allows photos to be easily and simultaneously shared with all your friends pictured in an image directly from the camera or the photo gallery.

With ‘AllShare Cast’, users can wirelessly connect their GALAXY S III to their television to immediately transfer smartphone content onto a larger display. ‘AllShare Play’ can be also used to instantly share any forms of files between GALAXY S III and your tablet, PC, and televisions regardless of the distance between the devices. Under AllShare Play is also the ‘Group Cast’ feature that allows you to share your screen among multiple friends on the same Wi-Fi network; you can make comments and draw changes at the same time with your co-workers, witnessing real-time sharing on your individual device.
Human-centric Design with Uncompromised Performance

The GALAXY S III not only presents features with enhanced usability, but also provides an ergonomic and comfortable experience through its human-centric design. Its comfortable grip, gentle curves, and organic form deliver a rich human-centric feel and design. Inspired by nature, its design concept is the flow and movement of nature. The elements of wind, water and light are all evoked in the physical construct of the GALAXY S III. In its essence, the minimal organic design identity is reflected in the smooth and non-linear lines of the device. Available in Pebble Blue and Marble White at launch, Samsung will introduce a variety of additional color options.

With a 4.8″ HD Super AMOLED display, the GALAXY S III offers a large and vivid viewing experience. Samsung Mobile’s heritage Super AMOLED display even enhances to HD and 16:9 wider viewing angles. To ensure faster content sharing and connectivity, the GALAXY S III offers Wi-Fi Channel Bonding which doubles the Wi-Fi bandwidth.

The GALAXY S III also sports a range of additional features that boost performance and the overall user experience in entirely new ways. It introduces ‘Pop up play,’ a feature that allows you to play a video anywhere on your screen while simultaneously running other tasks, eliminating the need to close and restart videos when checking new emails or surfing the Web. Its 8MP camera features a zero-lag shutter speed that lets you capture moving objects easily without delay – the image you see is the picture you take. With the ‘Burst shot’ function that instantly captures twenty continuous shots, and the ‘Best photo’ feature that selects the best of eight photographs for you, the GALAXY S III ensures users a more enhanced and memorable camera experience. HD video can be recorded even with the 1.9MP front-facing camera, which you can use to capture a video of yourself. Improved backside illumination further helps to eliminate blur in photos that result from shaking, even under low lights.

Mobile payment is also accessible with the device through advanced Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. The gaming experience is enhanced through ‘Game Hub,’ providing access to numerous social games, while Video Hub brings users high quality TV and movies. Furthermore, Samsung Music Hub will offer a personal music streaming service. Game Hub, Video Hub and Music Hub will be introduced in select countries initially and soon rolled out to global markets.

The Samsung GALAXY S III will be available from the end of May in Europe before rolling out to other markets globally.

For multimedia content and more detailed information, please visit www.samsungmobilepress.com.

Note to Editors:

Samsung GALAXY S III Product Specifications

Network

2.5G (GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE): 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz3G (HSPA+ 21Mbps): 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz

4G (Dependent on market)

Display

4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED (1280×720) display

Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)

Camera

Main(Rear): 8 Mega pixel Auto Focus camera with Flash & Zero Shutter Lag, BSI

Sub (Front): 1.9 Mega pixel camera, HD recording @30fps with Zero Shutter Lag, BSI

Video

Codec: MPEG4, H.264, H.263, DivX, DivX3.11, VC-1, VP8, WMV7/8, Sorenson Spark

Recording & Playback: Full HD (1080p)

Audio

Codec: MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA, OGG, FLAC, AC-3, apt-X

Additional

Features

S Beam, Buddy photo share, Share shot

AllShare Play, AllShare Cast

Smart stay, Social tag, Group tag, Face zoom, Face slide show

Direct call, Smart alert, Tap to top, Camera quick access

Pop up play

S Voice

Burst shot & Best photo, Recording snapshot, HDR

Google™ Mobile Services

Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude

Google Play Store, Google Play Books, Google Play Movies

Google Plus, YouTube, Google Talk,

Google Places, Google Navigation, Google Downloads

Connectivity

WiFi a/b/g/n, WiFi HT40

GPS/GLONASS

NFC

Bluetooth® 4.0(LE)

Sensor

Accelerometer, RGB light, Digital compass, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer

Memory

16/ 32GB User memory (64GB available soon) + microSD slot (up to 64GB)

Dimension

136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm, 133g

Battery

2,100 mAh

* Specifications above may differ on the LTE version.

* All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

* Android, Google, Android Beam, Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude, Google Play Store, Google Play Books, Google Play Movies, Google Plus, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Places, Google Navigation, Google Downloads are trademarks of Google Inc.

CES, Mobile, Phones

Why New Breed of 4G Smartphones Emerges at ICES

January 23, 2012 Technologer 3 Comments

A new breed of smartphones has emerged at the ICES (International Consumer Electronics Show) recently. In this giant gadget manufacturer meet that was portrayed as an amazing event as per the live reports from the event, a race of smartphones made a mark. This was an event where a lot of gadgets were on display, produced by different manufacturers all round the globe. The gadgets that were put on display in the event ranged everything from the head mounted headphones to a variety of amazing phones and computers.

But the same event also carried some bad and frustrating news for the customers of Sprint and AT&T who established a cutting edge for 4G smartphones in the previous year. So, the real problem vests with the fact that this phone will soon be outdated. When it came to tapping into the all new and faster fourth generation networks, Sprint Nextel and AT&T Mobility were the first two companies to have unveiled some of the first league of smartphones.

This new class of smartphones that emerged at the ICES may be an attempt to stand against its potential contemporaries. Over the time, launching 4G network from Sprint is continuously being talked about. And the talks had been doing rounds since the successful launch of the previous one, way back in 2008. This followed the launch of its premier phone, HTC’s Evo 4G in the preceding year. In the meanwhile, it was AT&T that begun adding the short, impressive yet a powerful word “4G” to almost all its smartphones names recently.

But the progress does not take a backseat here! AT&T and Sprint, two of the largest U.S. cellular carriers are actually working hard to get another 4G system on the front. LTE (Long Term Evolution) will be an additional thing to the two mobile carrier giants. This was made available so that it can compete with the wireless version of Verizon that was launched almost a year back.

If T-Mobile USA is to be believed then it has 4G that stands quite similar to the old 4G service of AT&T but the talks about the plans for the 4G LTE deployment is still pending. It’s unclear how AT&T and Sprint will be able to explain to their customers more on the investments they have made in order to have one of the most talked about technology. This seems unclear also because both AT&T and Sprint have earlier exhausted the usage of 4G in marketing.

Last year, it was at the CES where Verizon hosted two high profile news conferences and also went into operating huge sales promotion booth so that the official launch of its 4G network receives promotion too. On the contrary, things this year appeared different since it was visible how the company managed to keep a low profile at the most talked about event.

AT&T announced eight of the new LTE products at CES that included the smartphones and tablets. Now the first LTE based windows phone better known as Lumia 900 is expected to arrive in March. Before the announcement of the break-up of T-mobile, the first ever 4G LTE phones for AT&T already hit the stores in November, last year.

Sprint at the CES announced three new and amazing gadgets that included Samsung phones, a portable wireless hotspot and Galaxy Nexus that is a product of Samsung & Google partnership. It’s expected that Sprint’s new 4G LTE network will surpass its older versions with the elimination of slower 4G network too.

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This is a guest post by Emily Steves, who is associated with various internet security related companies as their freelance and staff writer. She has been linked with some of the best web media companies and offers various ways for internet solutions. She excels in writing articles related to internet security, internet plans, comcast deals, etc.

Applications, Mobile, software, tablets

Untethered iOS 5.0.1 Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Finally Goes Live

January 20, 2012 Nir Shein

The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here. A “Dream Team” of iOS experts have just rolled out an untethered jailbreak for Apple’s dual-core A5 iDevices, dubbed Absinthe A5, and designed to target iPhone 4S and iPad 2 running iOS 5.0.1 on board. Please note that it’s for Mac users only, at the moment, but a Windows version is probably going to be out very soon. As usual with most hacks, proceed with caution, but definitely proceed. Click the following link to learn more about the new release, get jailbreaking file here or hit the jump to watch the video.

Update: Well, that didn’t take long. Shortly after the Absinthe A5 untethered jailbreak released for OS X users, the Dream Team further extended their hacking solutions and returned back with a new jailbreak file, designed for Windows aficionados. So either click the source link below, or get the real thing right over here. Once again, you should plan carefully every step.

[youtube id=”ZKR7F-3kGvY”]

video by iJailbreak

[greenpois0n]

Applications, Mobile

The Apps That Make The BlackBerry Bold 9790 Best For Business

January 9, 2012 Technologer 1 Comment

BlackBerry has built its reputation on its relationship with the business world. More than any other smartphone, BlackBerry’s long association with the corporate market has provided a good base for its success. The success of iOS and the growth of Android in 2011 has undoubtedly left manufacturer RIM in a weaker position in the UK, having been pushed into third place. However, the release of the new Bold range in 2011, with the Bold 9790 at the centre of the campaign, and the release of the new operating system, BB7, means BlackBerry is taking on its competitors and reinforcing its position in the business world.

The Bold 9790 includes many of the same features that have made BlackBerry a popular business brand, including the ability to set up different email accounts and instant messages, to multitask and browse the web while working on other platforms. It also includes some new features, like the ability to separate a personal and business profile within the one device. There are also different apps that can be downloaded to further utilize and maximise the ability of the Bold 9790 to meet the needs of the business community. Here are the top five.

Social Media networks like Twitter are becoming increasingly important for businesses as they allow people to share their commercial knowledge and connect their brand with consumers. Apps like UberSocial are ideal for BlackBerry as they allow users to manage multiple accounts and tweet easily on the move using the devices QWERTY keyboard.

Dropbox is a feature many will use day to day in work, allowing them to share documents and material remotely. BlackBerry App world has a version of the software that allows users to share and read documents on their drop box on their device.

Battery Booster is ideal for those who need their BlackBerry from the beginning to the end of the working day and might not have access to a charger. The app stops different applications which are draining the battery to ensure optimum performance and saving battery life for those apps you need most.

BlackBerry Traffic provides an up to date service which can be vital to make sure you get to meetings and appointments on time. The app gives information about roads that are closed and plans routes, gives an idea of traffic congestions and provides an estimated time of arrival making it easier to plan a journey.

The business day can be a busy one and often it is difficult to keep up to date with what is happening in the world. BlackBerry News is an app providing an RSS feed of the latest news headlines, allowing users to scroll through and get an update on developments. Easily to scroll through and read it makes it easier to catch up on the train or over lunch.

Apple and Android have both been making inroads into the business market over the last twelve months. RIM has seen its BlackBerry phone deals fall below a 20% share in the UK smartphone market. Their new launch of the Bold range, in particular the 9790 and the new OS7 is designed to catch up with its competitors and provide a new and improved platforms for the business market. These apps are designed for BlackBerry to make the working day a little bit easier.

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This Article was written by Simon Drew from Best Mobile Contracts

Mobile, Operating Systems, software

Untethered iOS 5.0.1 Jailbreak Officially Out

December 27, 2011 Nir Shein

Ladies and gentlemen, the real untethered iOS 5.0.1 jailbreak y’all been waiting for is finally out and ready to open a wide range of your personal Apple iDevices (including iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad 1, iPod Touch 3G and iPod Touch 4G), except the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, which carry inside an upgraded A5 chipset. No sign as to when these two might get their own jailbreaking release, but be sure we’ll have this one sooner rather than later. Those with the pre-A5 machines can use a combination of tools to approach their hack, such as Pwnage Tool, redsn0w 0.9.10, and Chronic Devteam’s Cydia package (look for “Corona”). Hit the link below to learn even more or click the jump to watch the video (courtesy of Cydiahelp). Happy jailbreak!

[youtube id=”nLBvCIwaUOw”]

[via iPhone Devteam]